


Lettering The Nest

by MitchMatchedSocks



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Humor, Insomnia, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Nesting Alphas, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Struggles, Prejudice, Secret Omega, Slow Burn, non-graphic throwing up, past yutae, suppressants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:42:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 118,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26667634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MitchMatchedSocks/pseuds/MitchMatchedSocks
Summary: When Johnny and Jaehyun's cycles sync up, Taeyong finds himself with two nesting alpha boyfriends at once. The Sigma Mu house has never been so clean.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 897
Kudos: 2089





	1. Thursday

**Author's Note:**

> I am really really excited about this fic. It might be my favorite concept with some of my favorite characters yet, so I'm really excited to share.

A tiny orange pill stared up at Taeyong from the palm of his hand. If it stayed there for much longer, it would leave an orange smear on Taeyong’s clammy skin and he would have to go wash it off before he went downstairs to choke down the day’s first protein bar. “Let’s get along today,” he told it, and moved it six inches closer to his mouth. 

And then he almost dropped it when a loud bang on the door made him jump. “Hey Yong, you up?” Donghyuck pounded again. “It’s an emergency!” 

Taeyong popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed. “Yeah, I’m up.” He shoved the little orange bottle back in his desk drawer and then crossed the room to open the door. Donghyuck stood on the other side in a tacky “I <3 Sigma Mu” shirt that Taeyong wished he’d been able to vote on last year. His was already in the trash. Total waste of twenty-five mandatory dollars. 

“The alphas are cleaning the bathroom,” he whined like a tattling grade-schooler. 

Taeyong blinked at him. “Good? All the alphas? Did something… happen? To the bathroom?” 

“That’s the thing.” He glared down the hallway where the loud sound of aggressive scrubbing came from around the corner. “The cleaning ladies did it yesterday. It’s not dirty. I need to pee and there’s water all over the floor.” 

“What?” Taeyong shoved past him, already calculating how expensive it would be if water dripped down through the kitchen ceiling. 

The bathroom wasn’t exactly flooded, per say, but there was way more water than necessary splashed across the black and white tile. Sudsy water puddled up in dips where the old floor wasn’t quite even. And it wasn’t all of their many resident alphas. Unless they had Taeil and Yuta stuffed into the toilet tanks, it was just Jaehyun on his hands and knees with a brand new scrub brush, scraping grime from behind a toilet, and Johnny taking the curtain off the second shower. The first shower’s curtain was already tossed over the top of the urinal stall. 

“Um.” Both boys froze and swiveled around to look at him. “I just want to make sure you guys know that it’s not my birthday.” 

Jaehyun grinned and looked annoyingly handsome for somebody crouched behind a toilet in basketball shorts. “That’s a relief, Mr. President, I didn’t get you anything.” 

Donghyuck leaned around the doorframe and scoffed. “You’re not funny, Jaehyun. I’m going to go pee in the kitchen sink.” 

“Go in the bushes out back,” Taeyong suggested, and ruffled his hair. 

“Oh good idea.” 

“So many drunk people piss in those bushes, I’m surprised they don’t grow natty light cans.” Johnny snickered to himself.

“You’re not funny either,” Donghyuck called from halfway down the stairs. 

“So did… did somebody shit on the floor or like what’s up?” Taeyong leaned in the doorway and grabbed a mop so he could push soapy floor water towards the drain by the sinks. 

“Nah, this place is just a little grimy.” The last few curtain loops popped loose and Johnny tossed that one over the stall wall too. 

“I mean, it is a frat house bathroom, you can’t expect too much.” 

“Here let me do that.” Johnny pulled the mop out of his hand and began sweeping water out of the corners where Taeyong couldn’t reach from the hallway. “You didn’t just wake up, did you?” 

“I did, unfortunately. I have class.” 

Johnny stopped mopping to frown at him. “Maybe you should skip class and sleep. If your body is actually letting you sleep, you should take advantage.” 

Taeyong scoffed. “I can’t skip class. Don’t worry, it wasn’t a good sleep anyway.” He looked around and noticed the drain cleaner, Windex, toilet bowl cleaner, and a few other superfluous chemicals under the sink. There was a second mop, some sponges, and a couple rags in a bucket behind the door. “You guys want some tips?” 

“You wanna help?” Johnny asked, maybe a little defensive, and Jaehyun said “Please, housekeeping fairy, give us your wisdom.” 

Taeyong zeroed in on his bare hands. “First, find some rubber gloves. I bet neither of you even own lotion.” 

“I masturbate, don’t I?” Johnny scoffed, but Jaehyun pursed his lips and looked guilty. Taeyong smiled fondly at his dimples. 

“I don’t use lotion.” 

Johnny winced. “Doesn’t that chafe?” 

“Nah, I’m uncut, so—” 

“Anyways,” Taeyong said loudly, “your hands will thank you if you find some gloves. And avoid putting so much water on the floor. I know it looks like it’s built to handle water, but this house is like a hundred years old. As you know, nothing works like it’s supposed to. Also, I’m going to dig out some better cleaners.” He tapped the Windex with his toe. It was the only new chemical that had actually been opened. The sudsy floor smelled suspiciously like their usual dish fluid. “And no, Johnny, I don’t really want to help.” 

“Fair enough.” Johnny shrugged and turned around to give the shower a good look up and down with his hands on his hips. 

Taeyong narrowed his eyes. “Are you doing the walls first or the drains first?” 

“The walls. The drains have to be last because it has to sit and fumigate or something.” 

So he had at least read the instructions on the bottle.

“Where are we going to pee while it fumigates?” Jaehyun asked as if he hadn’t already flooded the place on a whim.

Johnny shrugged. Taeyong started planning his apology to the Campus Security officer who caught them all pissing in the yard in broad daylight.

“Hey babe,” Johnny said and gestured vaguely at Taeyong, “pass the Windex.” 

Taeyong bent halfway down to grab it and then froze. He blinked up at Jaehyun, who blinked back with his eyebrows all furrowed and his dimples out. Taeyong stood back up slowly and looked between them and their sudden ambitious, clueless housekeeping project. 

“Are you two… nesting?” 

Jaehyun’s mouth popped open. “Oh!” 

“Don’t think so,” Johnny muttered, but he began to stare around himself like he was waking up from a dream. 

“Yeah, we totally are.” Jaehyun laughed and stood up from behind the toilet. “My rut is due soon.” 

Johnny squinted at the shower. “Mine’s not due for a month.” 

“Yeah, but you two have been roommates for how long? Like two years? You could have synced up.” 

“I don’t think that’s a thing,” Johnny muttered slowly. 

“Girls’ periods sync up, omegas’ heats sync up, alpha/omega couples’ cycles sync up, but you don’t think ruts sync up?” 

Jaehyun scoffed. “Alpha ruts definitely sync up. I’ve read studies.” 

“Oh.” Johnny frowned, then sighed, then nodded. “Great. Both of us are nesting at the same time. This should be fun.” 

Taeyong nodded. “I look forward to a very clean house.” 

“You just wait, it’ll be just as disgusting as ever by the time our ruts are over.” Johnny turned back around and reached towards Taeyong again. “Windex please?” 

Taeyong, who was busy being indignant about Johnny calling the house he cleaned constantly ‘disgusting as ever,’ did not pass the Windex. “How about instead of cleaning the shower with glass cleaner, I unlock the broom closet for you guys and give you a tour of our already vast collection of cleaning products and what they get used for?” 

“Come on, Johnny, stop pretending like you know what you’re doing.” Jaehyun gave Johnny a playful shove and headed for the door. “I’d love a tour of the broom closet, Mr. President. We’re going to need it.” 

Taeyong shifted to the side to let him pass through, but instead of using all the new room he’d made, Jaehyun slid right up into Taeyong’s space and wrapped his arm around Taeyong’s waist. His hand spread out across the small of Taeyong’s back. His broad chest pressed up against Taeyong’s and pinned his shoulders against the doorframe. Rich, masculine alpha scent filled Taeyong’s lungs as Jaehyun leaned in and planted a loud kiss on Taeyong’s temple. Then he slipped away like nothing had happened and headed down the stairs whistling. Taeyong stayed pressed up against the doorframe with his eyes bugging out of his head. Johnny blinked after his roommate with his mouth slightly open and his eyebrows in his hairline. 

When he finally moved, he thankfully headed towards the empty space in the doorway and not Taeyong’s face. He stopped halfway over the threshold and looked down at Taeyong from an unreasonable number of inches higher. “I called you babe, didn’t I?” 

“You sure did,” Taeyong said cheerfully, and Johnny made a funny thinking expression that made him look even more like a Dr. Seuss character than normal. 

“Yup, we’re definitely nesting.” Just for good measure, he bent down and dropped a loud kiss of his own on the top of Taeyong’s head, big hand splayed across his side. 

“Oh my god,” Taeyong laughed. 

“I’m telling you, this is going to be wild. Let’s go make sure he doesn’t start making lunch or this bathroom will never get done.”

On the way down the old wooden stairs, Johnny whined about how Taeyong was too skinny, but Taeyong wasn’t listening. He was too busy reassuring himself that he’d taken his pill and guiding his shaking legs from one steep step to the next. 

If there was one place Taeyong knew he could trust a nesting Jaehyun, it was in the kitchen. Johnny on the other hand— 

“That’s… a lot of meat.” 

“I know, right?” Johnny grinned at him and waved one of Taeyong’s nice knives in the air. He had what looked like half a small pig spread out on the kitchen counter. Taeyong eyed the cabinet above Johnny’s head which housed his vast collection of protein bars, but he could smell the meat from the doorway and his stomach protested the idea of getting any closer. 

“You’re home,” Jaehyun said with a bright smile from the other side of the kitchen. He had Doyoung’s apron on over a set of lurid green SigMu letters, and a university snapback held his hair out of his face as he stirred something in their largest pot. “Dinner’s almost ready. Go sit down.” Taeyong couldn’t smell what it was over the smell of meat. 

“Oh… thanks, but I’m not feeling very well today.” 

“I remembered you said that earlier, so I made chicken and rice soup.” 

Taeyong bravely ventured into the kitchen and fought down the urge to hold his shirt over his nose, but the closer he got to Jaehyun’s side of the room, the more pleasant the smells became. 

“Oh wow, Jaehyun. That smells amazing.” The pot was full of deep gold liquid that churned with vegetables and rice and filled the kitchen with a warm, friendly aroma. It mixed gently with Jaehyun’s spicy alpha scent and washed out the awful meat smell.

“I know you eat the canned stuff sometimes when you don’t feel good.” His arm wrapped snug around Taeyong’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. He radiated body heat like a furnace. Taeyong put aside how strange the sudden cuddles were and let himself relax into it, though he jumped a little when Johnny’s knife loudly slammed into the cutting board behind him. 

“Yo, easy on my knives, Johnny boy.” 

“Sorry,” Johnny grumbled. “Missed.” 

“If you’re going to be cooking while you’re nesting, let me teach you some knife skills later, okay?” 

“K.” 

“You think your stomach can handle this?” Jaehyun rubbed his big, firm hand over Taeyong’s arm and Taeyong looked down at it incredulously. 

“I’ll definitely try it. Start me out at one coffee mug, okay?” 

“Will do.” 

A horrifying banshee screech ripped through the room. Taeyong whipped around, fully prepared to sew Johnny’s thumb back on, but Johnny looked just as surprised. He brandished the knife at the doorway, where Donghyuck stood with another pitchy screech halfway out his mouth. Jaehyun started humming and turned back to his soup. 

“OH MY GOD!!!” Heachan pointed at Johnny’s pile of meat. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MARK??”

“Mark?” Yuta popped in the door and gasped almost as loud as Donghyuck screamed. 

“Dude, what?” said Mark from around the corner. 

“MARK!” Yuta wailed. “OH GOD HE KILLED MARK!” 

“Guys I’m right here.” Yuta slammed a knee and an elbow against the door frame to block Mark from getting in. 

“HE KILLED MARK AND NOW HE’S GOING TO FEED HIM TO US!” 

Johnny brandished his knife. “You two are going to be next if you keep screaming when I’m waving a knife around.”

“A little less violence and death threats in the kitchen please,” Taeyong whined, stomach protesting a little. 

Johnny turned half around with a sheepish smile and lowered the knife. “Sorry babe.”

Jaehyun rubbed his back. 

Mark’s head popped into the room under Yuta’s arm. “Whoa, big, why you got so much meat?” 

“Well,” Johnny smirked, “You might say its cuz I’m an alpha, but I still have more than Jaehyun and Yuta, so…” 

“Literally shut up,” Donghyuck growled. Mark frowned over at Jaehyun’s side of the kitchen as if searching for more meat, and then yelped as Yuta’s arm swung down and locked Mark’s head against his side. “You’ve never even seen my meat!” he shouted. 

“That’s a good question though,” Taeyong squinted across the kitchen at what looked like eight pounds of pork shoulder, a full rack of ribs, and a stack of nine ribeyes, and started doing the math in his head. “Why do you have, like, two hundred dollars of meat?” 

“I’m going to smoke it!” 

“Oh.” They did have a smoker in the shed, left over from some past generation of Sigma Mus. Taeyong had seen it used once, but only for grilling. “Good luck with that.” 

Johnny appeared undiscouraged. “I’ve seen my dad do it. It’ll be great.” 

“Here’s your soup.” Jaehyun tapped his arm and presented him with a steaming mug of warm deliciousness. “Enjoy.” 

Taeyong gratefully took the mug and headed for the beer pong room, which was really the dining room, but they definitely used it more for beer pong. A large black table with benches on either side took up the middle. Every inch of wall, ceiling, and floor was decorated with the names, years, messages, and small drawings of dicks from generations of Sigma Mu brothers. The resulting aesthetic was a disorienting mix between toddler artwork and horror movie. Every year the university offered to paint over their impromptu SigMu house guestbook completely free of charge, and every summer, the brothers locked the pong room door tight and lost the key until fall. 

The other guys trickled in one by one carrying bowls of soup and beers. Jaehyun settled down on his right side. Johnny struggled to get his long legs under the table on his left. Mark, Donghyuck, and Yuta clustered up at the head of the table with a long queue of memes for each other. Taeyong made his way through several important emails and ate soup one cautious spoonful at a time. 

At some point Doyoung wandered in with a bowl of soup too, and then Taeil and Jungwoo. The scents of the four alphas gradually drowned out everybody else’s until the whole room smelled a little spicy and a little musky like leather and rain-soaked forest with hint of sex. It was a good thing Taeyong liked their warm, spicy smell. Before he knew it, his soup was gone, an academic meeting scheduled, an upcoming service event announced, a theme for spring rush finalized, and frat dues paid. 

“Guys, your Sigma dues just got posted,” he said, and realized he’d interrupted Jungwoo’s story. “Sorry, go on.” 

Jungwoo blew on as if uninterrupted. Doyoung and Mark pulled out their phones to pay. Jaehyun set Taeyong’s mug back in front of him, refilled with soup, and Taeyong realized his stomach had settled a little. He smiled and took a big bite. 

“Why did the bathroom get sterilized?” Jungwoo asked as soon as his story ended. “it smells like somebody filled a hospital with lemons in there.” 

Mark snorted. “Like what?” 

Taeyong pointed at the alphas on either side of him. “Johnny and Jaehyun’s ruts got synced up so they’re both nesting.” 

“Oh, that explains the homemade dinner.” Taeil grinned between them. “Johnny, is it going to be a frantic studying kind of nesting or a pimping the crib kind of nesting?” 

“Oh man, I wish I was nerd nesting. That was only one time. I think this cycle is going to be pretty normal.” 

Jaehyun laughed and shook his head. “He got out the smoker. I think he’s going full Dad mode.” 

Taeil nodded. “I always just turn into my dad when I nest.” 

“I’m worried about Jaehyun honestly.” Johnny reached around Taeyong’s shoulders and slapped Jaehyun on the back. “I usually never even see him when he nests because he camps out with his girlfriend, but if he doesn’t have a nesting buddy, he gets super sad.” 

Jaehyun sighed and nodded. “I get really domestic when I nest. I’m going to be really lonely.” 

“You should just nest like a cave troll like me,” said Yuta, and everybody laughed. 

“Yeah man,” Mark’s eyes lit up, “that blanket fort was epic!” 

Doyoung scoffed. “Right. The rest of us only had to do without blankets and pillows for almost three weeks.”

“And then I spent days doing stinky rut laundry,” Taeyong added.

Yuta gave him a pout. “I told you to let me do it but you did it anyway.” 

“We wanted our blankets back! You were taking too long!”

Mark poked Yuta’s arm with his spoon. “I can’t believe you didn’t let anybody else inside. It looked so cozy and no one even got to see it.” 

Taeyong had seen it. It had been lit with one string of lights and a lava lamp and it was the coziest softest little tent, and Yuta had dragged him inside at the end of his rut and had his way with him, but the boys didn’t need to know that. 

“Yeah, I’m weird on my cycle,” Yuta said with a wince.

Johnny nodded emphatically. “You turn into an animal.”

“What can I say? I gotta have my creepy fuck cave.” 

“Wait what?” Mark’s eyes got all big and shocked. 

Yuta leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head, grinning. “I made that fort to fuck omegas in and that’s about it.” 

Mark looked scandalized. “You weren’t homemaking like a normal type person?” 

“Everybody nests differently,” Jaehyun reminded him. 

“So you become a husband,” Donghyuck pointed at Johnny and Taeil, “and they become dads.” 

“…Right,” Jaehyun said, ears turning pink. “Alphas always get really attached to the closest omega and vice versa, but some people become very space and comfort oriented. Lots of omegas just want to make a safe place to go through heat. And then you have Yuta who just gets ready to fuck…” 

Taeyong wished he could mention the blanket fort’s hoard of lube and condoms without revealing too much.

“Did you actually fuck any omegas in it?” Jungwoo asked. Yuta shook his head.

“One beta but no omegas.” He looked down the table as far from Taeyong as possible. Taeyong also focused on his soup and did his best to look normal. 

“Anybody we know?” 

“No, no. A girl from one of my classes.” 

“I bet that’s what I would be like if I nested,” Donghyuck said with the playful lilt of someone who knew they were setting themselves up to get roasted. 

“Pft, are you kidding?” Johnny snickered. “You’re already the neediest fucking baby. You’d get all clingy like Jaehyun but without being husband material.” 

“Uh!” Donghyuck threw a cracker at him. 

Under the table, one of Jaehyun’s hand curled idly around Taeyong’s thigh. Taeyong was glad he had something else to focus on. He looked at his lap with huff and moved Jaehyun’s hand back to his own leg. 

Jungwoo picked the cracker up off Johnny’s lap and ate it. “Can we back this up to Donghyuck implying he could be an alpha?” 

“HA!” Yuta shouted loud enough to make Taeyong jump. Jaehyun’s hand slid back onto his thigh.

“Donghyuck would make a cute omega,” Taeil said with a wide grin. 

Donghyuck threw his spoon down in his bowl and whined loudly. “Oh come on, I’m not that feminine.” 

Taeil shrugged. “I’m not saying you’d have to be a girl. You could be a male omega. We would never know.” Taeyong abruptly lost his appetite as Taeil patted Donghyuck on the head. “Maybe that’s why you’re so small. The suppressants are stunting your growth.” 

“Bitch, you are straight up shorter than me!” He pointed across the table at Jungwoo. “Didn’t Woo hook up with a female alpha once? Maybe he’s a male omega.” 

Jungwoo snickered and shook his head. “I asked her if female alphas hooked up with male omegas and she told me she wouldn’t. She said if she wanted that then she could just hook up with a girl.” 

“But what if you were a male omega and she didn’t even know?” 

“I mean if male omegas are on suppressants, they’re basically not omegas so it wouldn’t matter,” Johnny said matter-of-factly. “When she said that she meant a male omega off suppressants. Lots of alphas say they wouldn’t fuck a male omega because if they want an omega, they want tits and stuff. The boy bits kind of take away from the full omega experience.” 

“Lots of bullshit to unpack there,” Doyoung grumbled, and Taeil nodded. 

“I mean yeah, obviously. That’s a super dated excuse. There are better reasons not to fuck male omegas.” Doyoung’s jaw clenched.

“Aren’t they all really weird?” asked Donghyuck. 

Taeil nodded. “Usually, yeah. Cuz like, until about twenty years ago, all male omegas took suppressants.” 

Mr. Type Studies minor Jaehyun interrupted. “There were a couple outlying cases where older male omegas stopped taking them for medical reasons.” 

Taeil shrugged. “Yeah, like two. Now there’s a few more that choose not to—” 

“They finally got a few very basic legal protections about fifteen years ago,” Jaehyun interrupted again.

Taeil shushed him. “Anyway, power to them of course but they’re all… yeah. It’s really unusual to not take suppressants so the ones that don’t are usually very strange.” 

“I met one once,” Yuta said. His lip curled. “He looked like he had herpes and he immediately hit on me, so…” 

Taeyong put his spoon down and began looking for excuses to leave that wouldn’t look suspicious. Jaehyun’s hand was still on his thigh for some reason, that made things more difficult.

“Male omegas who go off the pill do it because they want to go into heat and take alpha knots,” Johnny said. “They can’t get pregnant. There’s no other reason to quit suppressants besides the sex stuff. And if they’re willing to become social pariahs just to go into heat, they’re probably pretty weird.” 

“See that’s not even true though,” Jaehyun growled. He tensed up as he glared at the other alphas, and his hand clamped down on Taeyong’s thigh just as Taeyong got ready to claim illness and abscond. “Suppressants fucking kill you, that’s why omegas quit them.” 

Taeyong attempted another very casual bite of soup and barely managed to swallow.

“Wait, seriously?” Yuta sat forward in his seat. Jaehyun nodded. 

“The life expectancy of a male omega on suppressants is literally decades shorter than average. The pill has been around for, like, eighty years now, and the side effects still aren’t very well studied, but they’re rough, especially as you get older. It completely shuts down an entire system of your body. Turns out that’s really bad for you. Male omegas eventually get brain damage, cancer, seizures, all kinds of stuff. It’s fucked up.” He looked between the other alphas at the table, challenging. 

Taeil nodded and shrugged. “That’s true but almost every male omegas still takes them.” 

“Why doesn’t anyone talk about that?” Mark said with his eyebrows tipped in and a cute little frown on his face. 

“Obviously because people would still prefer men to kill themselves than be like women,” Doyoung snapped. Most of the table blinked at him.

“That’s a little harsh,” Jaehyun said. “I mean there’s some of that. But it’s mostly because it’s pretty new information, and there are so few male omegas anyway, and they’re such an invisible group, it’s hard to spread info or create urgency. I did a whole project on this.” 

“So did I,” Doyoung snapped again. “It’s hard to create urgency because people are uncomfortable hearing about male omegas. They’d rather male omegas keep poisoning themselves so they don’t have to acknowledge that they exist.” 

“Well I want to hear about it,” Mark grumbled. 

“There’s truth to that.” Jaehyun shifted and his hand slid slowly towards Taeyong’s knee. “A lot of info campaigns got canceled because some influential groups claimed mentions of male omegas on public media were distasteful and inappropriate. That argument won some court cases so it’s pretty hard to fix at this point.” 

“I want to hear about this later, but I need to go lie down,” Taeyong said quietly and removed Jaehyun’s hand from his thigh. 

On his way up the stairs he saw Jungwoo and Donghyuck carrying their dishes out too, followed by Johnny with an armful of what must have been every dish left on the table and a determined glint in his eye. By the time Taeyong reached the top of the stairs, he could also hear Mark in the hallway giggling at something Yuta said. He must not have wanted to hear more about male omegas that badly. Taeyong’s stomach churned with all the delicious soup Jaehyun had made for him. He shoved a ginger candy in his mouth and curled up in bed. There was still lots of work to do that day, still hours to spend in the studio, but for now it was all he could do to lie on his side and convince himself not to vomit. 

“Oh my GOD! You’re NOT my DAD!” 

Two hours of fitful dozing was basically a full night’s sleep for Taeyong, so when Donghyuck’s screeching woke him, he got up. It was dark out now. The soup had settled back down. He left his room just in time to hear Johnny saying “shut the fuck up, Taeyong is trying to sleep,” and Donghyuck say “he’s all the way upstairs with his door closed, he can’t hear me.” 

Jaehyun poked his head in the bathroom door while Taeyong was washing his hands. “Hey, you’re up. Have any laundry?” 

Taeyong squinted at the overflowing hamper in his hands. “I mean yeah. Is that all yours?” 

“No, I got me and Johnny’s stuff already in the dryer. This is everything Yuta and Taeil gave me. Yuta’s sheets fucking stink, dude.” 

Taeyong took a quick sniff and caught a whiff of familiar dank alpha musk from where he stood, a good five feet away. “Jesus H Christ,” he grumbled. “Yeah, if you have a desperate urge to do laundry, I have about half a load.” 

“I’ll do your sheets and your towels too,” Jaehyun said, and ducked back out the door. 

While Taeyong was in the middle of shoving his computer into his bag, Jaehyun came in and began stripping Taeyong’s bed. 

“If you do Doyoung’s, make sure to use his products or he’ll get really fussy.” 

“He’s already told me not to touch his shit or he’ll light my hats on fire,” Jaehyun laughed from behind him.

“Don’t forget to do your homework too, okay?” He stood up, and immediately felt Jaehyun’s arm wrap around his waist. His broad chest pressed up against Taeyong’s back, and his face tucked into Taeyong’s shoulder. Taeyong blinked down at his arms. Romantic back hugs weren’t something he usually got from his frat bros, even the nesting ones. 

“I won’t forget,” Jaehyun murmured, voice so deep that he could feel it vibrate against the top of his spine. A giant wad of blankets squeezed against his side. “Thanks for the reminder.” 

“Wow Johnny really wasn’t kidding, was he?” 

“About what?” Jaehyun’s lips smudged against the bare skin at the back of his neck. Taeyong stiffened up.

“Miss your ex?” 

“Uh…” Jaehyun’s soft laugh shook against Taeyong’s back until he pulled away. Taeyong turned around and saw shy dimples and pink ears. “I don’t really miss her anymore, but I miss having a girlfriend right about now, yeah. Sorry.” 

It was Taeyong’s turn to laugh. He reached up and gave Jaehyun’s soft cheek a gentle pinch. “It’s fine. I don’t mind hugs.” 

Jaehyun pulled the wad of blankets against his chest and sighed. “She broke up with me after my last rut because I was too clingy. I think the nesting period freaked her out.” 

“Aww.” Now Taeyong felt bad for calling him out. He pulled Jaehyun back into a hug. “Didn’t Johnny’s last girlfriend break up with him after his nesting period?” 

“Not the last one, but the one before that.” Jaehyun dropped the blankets to wrap his arms around Taeyong’s shoulders. “Every alpha and omega has at least one relationship that ends after nesting.” 

“I think Yuta’s nesting period has kept him from ever having a girlfriend.” 

“Yeah, well, Yuta’s a fucking menace when he nests. He literally hissed at me. Like, growling I get obviously, but hissing?” 

Taeyong cracked up and tucked his face into Jaehyun’s shoulder. Jaehyun rested his cheek on Taeyong’s hair. His fingers curled into Taeyong’s shirt as he squeezed him closer. After a few moments, he pulled his face back so his mouth was closer to Taeyong’s ear. “I think…” 

“Hmm?” 

Jaehyun paused with his chest full of air and let it out. “Never mind.” 

“Okay.” 

“You’re so thin.” 

“I’m eating as many protein bars as I can.” 

An alarm on Jaehyun’s phone went off, and he huffed and pulled back. “The dryer load is done. I better go fold it.” 

“Thanks for doing our laundry, Jaehyun.” He stroked his hair and then stepped away to grab his backpack off the floor. 

“Yeah, no problem. I’m having fun.” 

“I always tell you guys that it’s nice to live in a clean space and get chores done, and you all just wade around in your own filth and play video games instead.” 

“We don’t wade in our own filth because you don’t let us,” Jaehyun gave his cheek a pat. “Having you in the house is like having somebody nesting all the time.”

Taeyong crossed his arms. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.” 

“It is.” He flashed a handsome, charming smile. “And it’s nice that I get to take care of you this time.” 

“Is that why you keep cuddling me?” 

“Oh, uh…” Jaehyun ducked his head and blushed again. “Maybe? I hadn’t realized I was doing that, honestly, so I haven’t really considered why. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay. You can cuddle me if you need to, I don’t mind.” 

“Thanks, Yong,” Jaehyun murmured. He leaned down to pick up all Taeyong’s blankets again, so Taeyong took his stuff and headed out. 

At the bottom of the stairs, Johnny stood with his hands on his hips, glaring down at Donghyuck and Jungwoo who were playing video games on the couch. 

“I’m just saying, you could do this after you did all the homework that I know you have.” 

“Oh my god, dude, it’s only seven,” Donghyuck grumbled and didn’t look away from the TV. 

“Seriously Johnny,” said Mark from a nearby chair, “you know he always starts his homework after eight and he still gets straight As.” 

“Taeyong!” Donghyuck shouted as Taeyong reached for the front door. “Tell Johnny to hop off my dick!” 

Taeyong’s fingers rested on the doorknob. “He’s hormonal, just do what he wants.” 

_“Listen to your mother,”_ Johnny hissed at them. Donghyuck wailed and threw his controller down so he could stomp back to his room. 

“I raised you better than this!” Johnny yelled after his petulant heels as he disappeared around the corner. Then he turned around and grinned at Taeyong. “Thanks for the backup, babe.” 

“Babe?” said Jungwoo.

“Did you just call him babe?” said Mark. 

“…you’re welcome,” said Taeyong, and twisted the doorknob. 

“Headed to the music building?” 

“Yes.” 

“Let me walk you.” 

“I do this every night, Johnny, I think I can find my way.” 

“I’ll just go grab my shoes, don’t move.” He hopped up the stairs. It only took him a minute to get back, but it was long enough for Taeyong to give the wide-eyed boys in the living room a long, tight lipped look. 

“He’s weird when he nests,” Mark said. 

“Yeah.” 

Johnny thundered back down the stairs past Taeyong and out the front door. “Okay let’s go,” he said on his way past. 

“Mhm.” Taeyong followed him out. 

It was a warm night. Early October had brought none of the cool autumn charm that Taeyong craved. This week the weather still felt like early September, even if a couple trees had tentatively turned their top branches yellow. The first few leaves of the season skittered leisurely across the front porch. No doubt the alphas would have those swept up and on the curb as soon as they ran out of any actually helpful nesting chores. 

The whole yard smelled like woodsmoke, which Taeyong supposed should be nice, but it was really strong and he wasn’t good with strong smells. He fell into step with Johnny’s long legs as they hit the sidewalk and craned his neck to look around the corner of the house. A very thin trail of smoke puffed up over the roof. 

“How’s the smoking going?” 

“Great!” Johnny rubbed his hands together. “I’m doing a couple of the shoulders right now. We’ll have barbeque for lunch tomorrow. I was thinking of making a couple different regional sauces. I found recipes for a vinegar-based sauce and a mustard-based sauce, and—” 

Taeyong tuned him out so he wouldn’t have to listen to descriptions of food. He didn’t check back in until Johnny slung an arm over his shoulders. 

“How was your nap?” He pulled Taeyong tight against his side. 

“Not bad. It’ll get me through the night.” 

“You should go to bed earlier. Like, while it’s still dark, you know?” 

“I’ve tried that,” he sighed. “I’ve tried melatonin and asmr and counting sheep. I’ve definitely tried going to bed earlier but nothing works. My doctor said I shouldn’t take sleeping pills and my body can’t handle rigorous exercise, so I haven’t tried those.” 

Johnny squeezed him tighter and rubbed a big hand over his shoulder. “That sucks, dude. How much sleep do you get usually?” 

“Uh… it really depends. About once a week I crash and get maybe seven hours, but between that I get maybe three or four a night if I’m lucky. Plus the occasional nap.”

“Taeyong, that’s not enough!” He wrapped his other arm around Taeyong’s shoulders and managed to hug him while walking until he tripped and nearly took them both down. 

“I know. I’m pretty well adjusted though. It’s not too bad.” 

“Sounds pretty bad. That’s probably why you’re sick all the time. All the sleep deprivation.” 

“Oh, for sure,” Taeyong sighed. “But I have a lot more time to get things done when I’m not sleeping. And remember when they hazed us with sleep deprivation? Didn’t bother me at all.” 

“God that sucked.” Johnny’s arm dropped down Taeyong’s back and settled on his waist. “Now that the older guys are gone, we can stop hazing, right? Like, maybe we do something fun like blindfolding them and taking them out for ice cream but none of that psychological torture stuff.” 

“What? You don’t want to make them listen to It’s A Small World at full volume and copy the lyrics for twelve straight hours or empty three cans of axe body spray into the basement and lock them down there?” 

“I can’t even smell that shit anymore without feeling nauseous.” 

“Ugh, you’re telling me.” 

Johnny’s hand lifted off his waist to card through his hair. “How did you even get through that without projectile vomiting?” 

“Oh, you were fucking lucky I hadn’t eaten anything in a while. I did a lot of dry heaving. And then I passed out, remember? Taeil said you guys threatened to call the cops until they let us out.” 

“Yup, I remember.” Johnny squeezed him close again. “Thanks for taking one for the team, babe. I might have projectile vomited if we had to stay there any longer.” 

“Happy to help,” Taeyong muttered, and leaned into Johnny’s hand as it pulled through his hair. 

“You’re so cute,” Johnny purred, bending down close so his face was right next to Taeyong’s.

Taeyong blinked up at him and raised his eyebrows. “What?” 

“I said you’re adorable.” 

“No I heard you.” He pulled Johnny’s hand out of his hair and linked their arms together instead. 

“Like a kitten.” 

“Down boy.” He leaned away from Johnny’s face. “Don’t use your omega pickups on me.” 

“Haha, sorry. ‘Tis the season.” Johnny gently bonked their heads together, but after that he backed off. The music building appeared at the end of the street. “Did you feel better or worse than usual today?” 

“Pretty good actually. I ate real food and everything.” 

“Lots to do tonight?” 

“There’s always lots to do.” He squeezed Johnny’s arm. “I’ll try to come home early if that makes you feel better.” 

“Thanks for humoring me.” He dropped Taeyong off at the door with a sloppy kiss on the forehead that gave Taeyong an uncomfortable shiver, and then he waved a friendly goodbye and headed back to the house to ‘rotate his meat.’ (“Make sure you use that lotion you were telling me about,” Taeyong said) 

Taeyong headed down towards his studio through the maze of dark, narrow halls of the ancient music building. Like every ancient academic building, the place had a strange, completely untraceable smell that was entirely its own, maybe from the old carpet, or the fabric wallpaper, or decades of assorted industrial cleaners. It had been strong enough to bother Taeyong’s delicate stomach at first, but now even on his worst days, it just smelled like home. 

The studios for upperclassmen music production majors were crammed together in the basement on a hallway so skinny that most of the doors had long dents down the front from getting banged into the doors across the hall when they opened at the same time. Kim Namjoon had almost killed Taeyong at least twice with his door. He was in his studio now, as usual. Some kind of old-school hip-hop beat came muffled from inside. Taeyong was glad he had Namjoon across the hall, and not the senior who was always blasting god awful EDM noise a few doors down. As Taeyong struggled with his finicky lock, Namjoon’s track switched abruptly to September by Earth, Wind & Fire, which Taeyong had begun to notice usually meant that the alpha was getting frustrated with whatever he was working on. 

Taeyong’s door popped open with its usual squeak, and he squeezed into the tiny little room and flopped down in his squishy desk chair. His desk with all his equipment took up most of the room, but there had been just enough space left for the Ikea couch that Taeyong had bought for his room freshman year, a tiny little coffee table, and a small assortment of potted plants. It was cramped and warm and poorly lit, and Taeyong loved it. For the next eight hours or so, Taeyong worked on a march for music theory and an ambient rap track he was quite proud of for his own mix tape, with a slide show of renaissance paintings for art history and a proposal for a Greek-wide alcohol safety program to work on in his downtime. The deep quiet of the building pulled stress from his shoulders and settled whatever anxiousness he had left over from the brothers’ dinner conversations.

At four in the morning, his studio door popped open, and Johnny poked his head in with deep bags under his eyes and his hoody reeking of wood smoke. “Ready to go home?” he asked. Taeyong blinked at the blurry words of his proposal and the window full of background vocals that wouldn’t quite fit together behind that, which he would have continued to poke out for another couple hours until he hated every note. 

“Yeah, I guess I am.” 

They didn’t talk on the way home, but Taeyong leaned into Johnny’s side despite the intense smoke smell on his clothes, and Johnny’s body heat sank into his tired muscles and his strong arm around Taeyong’s back took half the work out of every step. 

“Why are you still up?” he asked and couldn’t keep his words from slurring. 

“Had to watch the pork. The smoker wasn’t hot enough for the first four hours because the built-in thermometer is broken, so I had to stay up longer to keep rotating it until it was done.” They headed up the front steps and Johnny unlocked the door. 

The house smelled like meat again, but it also smelled like laundry detergent. Jaehyun was still in the middle of the brightly lit living room, asleep with his head on top of a pile of sheets. Piles of laundry covered every inch of furniture and floor. Only about half of it was folded. 

“Oh gee,” Taeyong cooed, and toed off his shoes so he could pick his way through the maze of Greek letter shirts and gym shorts to shake Jaehyun’s shoulder. “Jay, go sleep in your bed.” 

“Mmph…” Jaehyun shifted and his cheek got all squished against a familiar dark splotch on Doyoung’s navy comforter. 

“You’ve got your face on Yuta’s cum stain there.” 

“Mwhat??” Jaehyun jerked upright as Johnny bust into giggles. 

“Don’t worry, it’s clean.” He brushed a few fluffy strands of Jaehyun’s thick hair back into place. “I didn’t realize how much cum alphas produced in rut until I had to scrub it out of the whole frat’s bedding myself.” 

“Ugh, you’re such an angel,” Jaehyun grumbled and scrubbed a hand over his face. 

Johnny’s hand landed on the small of Taeyong’s back. “We don’t just do that in rut, babe, that’s every time we knot.” 

Taeyong pretended to hurl into Jaehyun’s laundry. 

“Whoa!” Jaehyun jerked back and then laughed. 

“Wait, did you think I was actually throwing up?” 

“Yeah, you barf all the time.” He took a look around. “Fuck, I gotta finish folding Doyoung’s stuff before I go to bed or he’ll kill me.” 

“I won’t let him hurt you if you’d rather go sleep,” Taeyong said. “I’ll fold all of my stuff. Thank you so much for washing it.” He pulled his bedding out of a pile and tossed it in his hamper, now full of clean clothes. “Johnny, thank you for coming to get me. Goodnight, you two.” 

“Night, babe,” said Johnny. 

“Goodnight, Yong,” said Jaehyun. 

On his way back from brushing his teeth, Taeyong saw Johnny carry Jaehyun into their room. He was fast asleep again, all wrapped up in Johnny’s arms like a baby with his head on Johnny’s shoulder. Such sweet alphas. Taeyong fought his sheets back onto his bed with a smile on his face despite his shaking arms, and then lay awake for a couple hours as his head throbbed and his body ached. Only when the first blue light of morning turned the little medicine bottle on his desk orange instead of gray did Taeyong finally drop off to sleep.


	2. Friday

The little orange bottle was in Taeyong’s hands when Doyoung bust into their room the next morning. “Jaehyun said you said I wasn’t allowed to kill him.” He saw what Taeyong was holding and quickly closed the door behind him. “I didn’t have socks this morning, Taeyong. No socks at all.” Doyoung’s backpack thunked heavily onto his bed and bounced.

“Yes you did, they were just downstairs and not folded.” 

“Well I didn’t know that.” Doyoung pouted. He crossed the room and sat on Taeyong’s bed next to him. 

“Jaehyun fell asleep on top of your laundry at, like, five in the morning and Johnny carried him to bed.” 

The pout cracked into a smile. “Aw, that’s adorable.” 

“It really was.” 

“They’re so cute for alphas.” 

“We only recruit cute alphas,” Taeyong said smugly and finally managed to pop the lid of the bottle open, but that was as far as he got. All his momentum ground to a halt as all of yesterday’s dinner anxiety swelled in his head. He took a few deep breaths to try and push them back. “Can I get a hand?”

“Of course.” Doyoung crawled forward, pulled out a pill, and poked it unceremoniously into Taeyong’s mouth. He let out a quiet sigh as Taeyong swallowed. Taeyong sighed too, but with relief because he was done with that for the day.

“Thanks.”

“Yong,” Doyoung said softly, “have you ever thought about…” 

“Hm?” 

Doyoung bit his lip and shifted. “Have you ever considered going off the suppressants? I’m not saying you should or anything, I was just curious if you’d ever thought about it.”

Taeyong looked back at him. He blinked at Taeyong with wide eyes. 

“Only every day.” He held up the bottle and examined the little orange pills on the inside. “Some days it’s really hard to take them. It was okay today. I got a lot of sleep. Like five hours.” He frowned down at the pills as they mocked him from their little orange home, like tiny Greek soldiers inside a plastic Trojan horse with his name on it. “I want to go off them,” he said quietly, and Doyoung touched his back gently. “I’ll be in a more liberal field, I just have to get hired by somebody who’ll be okay with it, and then I’ll go off them.” 

“I’m sure you’ll find somebody,” Doyoung said, but he sounded nervous. 

“I might have to wait until my second job. Fresh grads probably can’t be that picky.” 

Doyoung’s hands rustled in Taeyong’s sheets. “That could be years.” 

“I know.” 

“Your side effects are really bad for someone your age.” 

“It’s just because the insomnia causes all the other problems.” His heart sank just thinking about even one more month of daily nausea and fatigue, much less years. He took a deep breath and put it at the back of his mind. “It’s okay, I’ve gotten this far. I can take a few more years.” 

“Yeah,” Doyoung whispered, and reached out to rub Taeyong’s back. “You’re tough.” 

“Then it’ll just be funny looks in public for the rest of my life.” 

“Right…” Doyoung took a deep breath. “And zero legal protection from discrimination and an increased risk of violence.” 

“Right, and that. I’m doomed if I take them and I’m doomed if I don’t. Might as well pick the one where I get to sleep at night.” He tossed the pills into his desk drawer and kicked it shut. 

“The whole thing makes me so fucking mad,” Doyoung growled, and shuffled forward to wrap his arms around Taeyong’s middle. 

“Me too.” 

“You deserve better than this.” 

Taeyong leaned into Doyoung’s arms and smiled. “No one deserves this. It’s okay, I can handle it. I’ve got my brothers.” 

“We’ll have your back,” Doyoung promised. “If you time it while Johnny and Jaehyun are nesting, they’ll fight anyone for you.” 

“Ugh, they really will,” Taeyong groaned. A loud peel of high-pitched laughter, indignant hollering from Mark, and two sets of thundering feet in the hallway jostled Taeyong out of his happy moment. He sat up out of Doyoung’s hug and reached for a big fluffy sweater. 

“What’s up with that, by the way? First Yuta, now these two.” Doyoung hopped off the bed. 

“Their instincts must be able to sense something through the suppressants. After the Yuta incident I looked up if alphas could sense male omegas during their ruts, but everything I found said that with suppressants it shouldn’t be possible, so I thought it was something else. But now Johnny and Jaehyun are treating me like an omega too.”

“Welp.” Doyoung crossed his arms. “It’s not like suppressants are actually that well studied, so…” 

A loud shout that sounded like Johnny came from downstairs, followed by Donghyuck’s high pitched shrieking.

“Guess it’s time to go show Johnny who the real dad is around here,” Taeyong grumbled, and Doyoung laughed. 

“Yeah, you go show him who’s the daddiest.” 

“Oof, he’ll win that one every time.” Taeyong opened the door and ran right into Jungwoo, who had his face buried in his phone. 

“Your boyfriend needs help,” he said without looking up. 

“Which one?” 

“Which—” Jungwoo lowered his phone and blinked at him. “You have more than one boyfriend?” 

“What? I don’t have any boyfriends. Did you think—” 

“Sweetheart,” Jaehyun said from the top of the stairs, “Donghyuck is trying to throw Johnny’s meat away.” Taeyong groaned and left Doyoung to clear up that confusion. It probably didn’t help that Jaehyun felt the need to hug him and kiss him on the forehead before he let him teeter his way down the stairs. 

In the kitchen, there were lit stoves, knives, boiling water, and both Donghyuck and Johnny flailing around each other like squirrels fighting over a nut. The nut in this case being an armful of raw meat wrapped in brown paper, which Donghyuck had at the moment. He kept dodging under Johnny’s hands while he tried to get to the trash can. 

Taeyong planted his feet in the doorway and shouted. “Donghyuck! Leave my boyfriend’s meat alone!” 

“UGH!!” Easily a hundred dollars’ worth of meat tumbled from Donghyuck’s arms onto the kitchen floor. “Why would you say it like that?!” 

Jaehyun’s hand slid over the small of Taeyong’s back as he slipped through the door and stepped over the meat to get to the stove. 

“Thanks, honey,” Johnny said, and gave Donghyuck a hard spank. 

“I’m being abused!” 

“Why are you trying to throw away Johnny’s meat?” Taeyong asked as he gently pulled Donghyuck out of the kitchen. 

“Because he got me and Mark up at seven-thirty this morning and made us go running. When the hell did you two start dating?” He sulked as Taeyong tilted his head up and examined the dark circles under his eyes.

“We’re not dating, it was a joke.” 

“Hey babe, do you and Donghyuck want lunch?” Jaehyun called from the kitchen. “Grilled cheese with pulled pork!” 

“Yes please! You’ll finish it for me if I can’t, right?” 

Jaehyun beamed. “Of course, cutie.” He whipped together sandwiches with pickles and leftover soup faster than the fully staffed campus diner ever did. For the second time in twenty-four hours, most of the frat, summoned from every corner of campus for lunch hour, gathered around the beer pong table with real food. Today their fifth alpha was there too. Lucas’s scent, which had a briny, marine edge to it, mixed pleasantly in with the others.’ Once again, Jaehyun slid in on his right, and Johnny inserted himself into the tiny space between Taeyong and Doyoung on his left. 

“Feeling okay today?” Jaehyun asked and his hand landed on the small of Taeyong’s back again. 

“Yeah, pretty good. I think I’ll actually be able to eat this.” 

“Did you sleep?” Johnny asked with a hand between Taeyong’s shoulders, and Taeyong’s cheeks started to feel a little warm. He sat up very straight like that would make them touch him less. 

“Yup, more than usual. Did you sleep? You were up at four-thirty and seven-thirty apparently.” 

“I pulled an all-nighter, but it’s no big deal, tomorrow is Saturday.” He took a bite of his sandwich with his big hand still planted firmly at the top of Taeyong’s spine. Jaehyun’s hand hadn’t moved either. Across the table Yuta glanced between the three of them with his sandwich half in his mouth and his eyebrows knit together. It occurred to Taeyong that after seeing two more alphas latch on to Taeyong during their cycles, Yuta might have more information than Taeyong was comfy with. He started having second thoughts about the sandwich. 

“Somebody told me you three are fucking,” Taeil said over the din, and Taeyong’s warm cheeks turned into a full flush.

Lucas screamed, “WHAAAT??!!” His eyes nearly popped out of his skull. 

“Nobody is fucking anybody,” Taeyong grumbled and Jaehyun laughed. Johnny rubbed the back of Taeyong’s neck. 

“Guess it might kind of look like that,” he said. “Neither of us have an omega right now so it looks like Taeyong is our stand in omega for this nesting period. He’s our nesting buddy.” 

Taeyong groaned. “Really? You guys don’t know a single woman on campus that would make a better omega than me? 

“I lost all my female friends in the breakup,” Jaehyun grumbled, and Johnny said, “not one that we live with.” 

Ten leaned around Jaehyun, grinning. “Is it because he’s pretty much a housewife?” 

Johnny nodded. “He’s already the mother of my children.” 

“You’re not my real dad,” grumbled Donghyuck and then took a vicious chomp out of his sandwich. 

“I think it’s because,” said Jaehyun in his expert voice, “since neither of us have an omega to latch onto, Taeyong is the next closest thing since he’s already the head of the household, or ‘nest’ if you will, that we’re trying to run.” 

Mark jerked up in his seat, looking shocked. “Oh that’s why they call it nesting!” 

“Are you guys feeling super compelled to fuck him right now?” Jungwoo said, and Taeyong choked on his sandwich. 

Johnny said “NO!” and Jaehyun said “I mean kind of,” in a much quieter voice, and then when everyone turned to stare at him, his ears turned red and his hand slid off Taeyong’s back. “But it’s more like- during nesting it’s not really about sex—” Yuta snorted, “it’s more about, like, being domestic and stuff. Shut up, Yuta, you’re weird.” 

“Yeah,” Johnny nodded really hard and also stopped touching Taeyong. “Jaehyun’s nesting is a lot more romantic than mine, but like, it’s having someone to run the house with, not sexual.” 

Doyoung pushed Johnny out of the way so he could narrow his eyes at both of them. “You guys aren’t going to fight over him, are you?” 

“Don’t think so,” Johnny said, and Jaehyun shook his head. “Since we aren’t actually dating him.” 

“Have either of you asked if he’s okay with this?” said Yuta. “Just because you guys are on your cycle doesn’t mean he has to put up with your instincts.” 

Taeyong glanced up at Yuta but he blinked away and looked at Johnny instead, and then down at his plate. He’d only had a few bites of sandwich and he was pretty sure he was done. 

“Uh…” Johnny turned to Taeyong looking a little lost. “I mean, you know you can tell us to fuck off, right?” Over his shoulder, Doyoung had his eyes narrowed at Yuta. 

“Y-yeah, I know.” He looked down at their laps to see if there was any way he could give Doyoung a light kick under the table, but Johnny’s gangly legs were in the way.

“Mr. President,” warm fingers touched under his chin, and Taeyong’s face got directed over in the opposite direction. Jaehyun’s hand slid onto his waist again. Soft eyes and handsome dimples turned his knees to jelly from point blank range. “Would you do me the honor of being my nesting boyfriend?” 

“Oh my god.” He leaned way back and ended up pressed tight against Johnny’s chest, who circled a thick, sturdy arm around his waist and crushed him close. Jaehyun followed him, fingers still under his chin. 

“WHOOOAA!!!” The table erupted. Jungwoo shrieked. Donghyuck wretched. Lucas’s chair nearly fell over. 

“You’re not taking me seriously,” Yuta snapped over the pandemonium. “Find out if he’s cool with you using him as a romantic replacement before you do shit like that.” 

Jaehyun frowned and backed off, but Johnny only pulled Taeyong tighter. “The fuck is your problem,” he growled, alpha aggression practically rolling off him. Yuta’s jaw flexed as he growled back. 

“OOOOOH!!” said the room. 

“Are we fighting?” Taeil sat forward in his seat and put both hands on the table. “Alpha brawl? Front lawn? Taeyong is the prize.” 

All three alphas turned to glare at him and Taeil didn’t even seem to notice. 

“Okaaaay!” Taeyong stood up. “I’m finished. I don’t mind being you guys’ nesting boyfriend, happy to help. No alpha brawls!” He pointed at each of them in turn and glared, slid his sandwich over to Jaehyun, and left. “Pay your Sigma dues!” he called on the way out. 

“Little hypocritical of him, don’t you think?” Doyoung grumbled from the studio couch as Taeyong wrestled with the software and tried to find a bass line he didn’t hate. 

“Yuta? I mean, kind of, but like. I think he said that because of our incident, not despite of it, you know?” 

Doyoung hummed, more or a thinking hum and an agreement hum. “Like… you think he feels guilty or something?” 

“Maybe… I hope not, he doesn’t need to. I keep thinking we should talk about the incident, but I don’t want to.” He swiveled around to Doyoung and made a pouty face. “It’ll be awkward.” 

The door cracked open, and Jaehyun poked his head in. “Hey guys. Oh, crap I didn’t know you were here, Doyoung. I would have brought you dinner too.” 

“I already ate,” Doyoung said with a wave of his hand even though he totally hadn’t. 

“You brought me dinner?” Taeyong eyed the reusable grocery bag that Jaehyun had in his hand. 

“Yeah, just more soup. I didn’t know how you were feelings, so.” 

“Soup is perfect.” He grinned as Jaehyun lifted an old plastic Chinese takeout container and plopped it down on the table with a bang. 

“Here, spoon, napkins, and coffee.” He smacked those down on the table in that order. 

“Oh, thank god.” Taeyong dove for the coffee. 

“Fuck, I want a nesting boyfriend,” said Doyoung. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty dope,” Taeyong grinned, but he was just reaching for the soup when Jaehyun dragged him away from the desk. 

“Whoa,” he yelped as it banged against the couch. Jaehyun squeezed the lever and the seat dropped about five inches. “Dude!” 

Jaehyun grabbed him under the armpits and lifted, then slid in behind him, and Taeyong found himself seated comfortably on Jaehyun’s lap at about the same height he’d been at before. “You’re not very ergonomic, dear,” he grumbled, and tried to claw his way back towards the desk as Jaehyun’s arms snaked around his middle. Jaehyun dragged them there with his heels so Taeyong could finally get started on his soup. 

As he ate his first spoonful, Jaehyun snuggled up against his back with a long sigh. “My laundry project is done,” he said.

“Congrats.” 

“Thanks. I was really sick of it by the end.” He nuzzled between Taeyong’s shoulders. “Needed a cuddle.” 

“You are adorable when you nest.” Taeyong patted his arm. 

“Thanks.” 

“I’d love to hang out and see this,” Doyoung said, “but I need to head out. See you guys back at the house.” 

“K, see ya.” 

Doyoung’s textbook slammed. His backpack zipped. The door opened. 

“Jay, if you can, make sure he goes home before sunrise.” 

“Okay.” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes and took another bite of soup. 

For a while the room was quite as Taeyong finished his soup. Jaehyun wasn’t ergonomic, but he was deliciously warm all pressed up against Taeyong’s back and holding him snug around the middle. Taeyong felt unusually cozy as he got back to his music. 

“Is nesting fun?” he asked. Jaehyun grunted. “Oh sorry, were you sleeping?” 

“No, no.” Jaehyun yawned and stretched underneath him. “Nesting sucks,” he grumbled. “Like, it’s fun to have a stupidly clean room and actually enjoy doing housework, but its usually really frustrating. It’s really lonely if you don’t have a partner. And during my last one, my girlfriend and I just fought the whole time.” 

“Aww.” He gave Jaehyun’s arm another pat. “You’re so non-confrontational. I bet that was rough.” 

“Nesting can make you kind of emotional too, so it was the perfect storm.” 

“What did she even have to fight with you about?” 

“Uh…” Jaehyun heaved another sigh. “You’ll probably get it by the time I go into rut. If you need to tell me to back off, please do, just… let me down gently.” 

Taeyong’s heart ached a little. He pushed them away from the desk enough that he could turn half around in Jaehyun’s lap and warp his arms around his head. “Jay, you know I could never be mean to you, right?” 

“I know,” Jaehyun nuzzled against the base of his throat and clutched him close, “but I get really annoying when I nest. You’ll see.” 

“I doubt that. Is it just more of this? Cuddles and making me food?” 

“You have no idea,” Jaehyun groaned, and his lips brushed against Taeyong’s neck. “I’ve been holding back. If you let me, I’m never going to leave you alone.” 

“Oh nooo,” Taeyong whined dramatically and played with Jaehyun’s soft, thick hair. “Two of the most attractive men I know won’t leave me alone for two weeks? What a disaster.” 

“Aw, babe, you’re making me blush.” Jaehyun’s deep giggle made Taeyong’s heart flutter a little. 

“This just gives me a reason to do what I want to do all the time, which is hug you guys. I wish the rest of the frat nested so I could hug them for two weeks too.” 

“You’re such an angel,” Jaehyun breathed against his skin. Taeyong shivered. “Maybe that’s why both Johnny and I picked you this time around. You’re the most gorgeous, gentle, kindest option. You’re, like, the perfect partner.” 

“Oh gee.” He dropped a little kiss on Jaehyun’s hair. “So cheesy.” 

“Seriously, are you okay with it though? Yuta was right, we should have talked about it more. We’re pretty much treating you like an omega even though you’re a guy.”

“I don’t mind. I’ve always been a bottom. I like getting pampered, its whatever.” 

“Uh…” Jaehyun pulled back and blinked at him with wide eyes. Taeyong poked his squishy cheek. 

“Too much info?” 

“Guess not.” He blinked a few more times and his eyes slid to the side. “Good to know.” 

“Right, time to get back to homework.” Taeyong swiveled back around so Jaehyun wouldn’t see him blush.

“Aw, come on babe.” 

“I’m not going anywhere, but I do need to get some work done.” He dragged them back up to the desk and woke his computer back up. 

“I thought we were having a good talk.” 

“We can still talk,” Taeyong laughed. He pulled up that essay that was giving him so much trouble. 

“Have you had boyfriends?” 

“no…” 

“Aw, really? Not for lack of options I’m sure.” 

“Sickly insomniacs don’t make very good boyfriends,” he said with a little uncomfortable prickle of nerves that told him he was oversharing. 

“Pfft. Bullshit.” 

“I can barely eat dinner most days, you think I’m ever in any shape for sex?” 

“You ate dinner today,” Jaehyun purred against his shoulders. Taeyong could feel his smile. 

“Oh my god, let me do my homework.” 

“It’d be a shame to waste your unusually good condition on homework.” His hands pet over his ribs and then slid heavily onto his stomach. 

Taeyong bit his lip as his heart rate sped up and dug real deep for his mom voice. “Jaehyun…” 

“Baby,” Jaehyun purred, and Taeyong’s mouth dropped open, pulse racing as Jaehyun’s hands slid up towards his chest. 

The door popped open and both of them jumped. Johnny appeared on the other side.

“Ooh, look at you two canoodling.”

Teayong let out a long breath that was part relief and part frustration. Jaehyun’s hands left his chest and crossed over his stomach in a more innocent snuggle. “I’m just checking in.” He closed the door and plopped down on the couch. “I also want to report that Donghyuck, Mark, and Jungwoo all started their homework right after dinner and I got them all to help me clean up the yard after class.” 

Taeyong could only imagine the fuss. “Wow, I’m glad I’ve been here.” 

“There was so much shouting,” Jaehyun groaned. 

“I want to plan for the party next Saturday,” said Johnny for a quick subject change.

“Oh yeah, we need to do that.” Taeyong pushed away from the desk again and Jaehyun let him bend over to get his planning notebook out of his bag. “Our first informal rush event.”

“Donghyuck and Mark are inviting all their friends.” 

The first open page in Taeyong’s notebook got titled ‘inf. Fall rush event 1.’ “We’ve never done fall rush before. At least not while I’ve been here. I guess we can do whatever we want.” 

“I went to some informal recruitment events for Pi Kap freshman year,” Johnny said. “It was just a party. I was thinking we should just throw a lowkey party like we usually do, so the potential new guys can get a feel for our vibe.” 

Taeyong nodded and wrote ‘party.’ He’d had a couple ideas himself but if the nesting alpha wanted to take the reins, Taeyong was happy to hand them off. Less work for him. Happier alpha. Win-win. “Are you thinking just SigMus and potential new members or a full-on p—” he lifted an arm to look down at where Jaehyun’s hand had snuck under his shirt. Warm, strong fingers pet over the soft skin of his stomach. He raised his eyebrows and looked up at Johnny, who smirked.

“I was thinking a full party. That way they just get to check us out, low pressure, and the event we have the week after can be just us and them.”

“You just want to throw a party,” Jaehyun said, low voice vibrating through his chest and into Taeyong’s back. 

“Listen.” Johnny held up a finger. “Our parties are fucking dope. I think we’ll attract a lot of chill guys that way. Besides, Mark was the one who suggested it.” 

Taeyong laughed. “Oh, well if Mark says so.” 

“Mark knows what’s up,” Johnny nodded firmly. “Kid’s, like, weirdly popular. I’m so proud of him. His grades are good too. We want more guys like him so whatever he says.” 

Taeyong bit back another grin and said “Yes, I’m glad we have him in the chapter,” but Jaehyun interrupted to grumble “I knew he was your favorite little,” and kicked Johnny’s leg. 

“Since when have I ever actually treated you like a little, dude?” 

“Fair. I woulda kicked your ass if you had.” Jaehyun’s hand stroked over Taeyong stomach and pressed tighter. It felt… really good. The heat and gentle pressure from his palm seemed to soothe the constant queasiness that was always there, even on the good days. 

“I liked my big,” Johnny said with a shrug. 

“Sehun didn’t really treat you like a little either.” Jaehyun’s hand rubbed again. Taeyong relaxed back into his chest and enjoyed it. “That’s why you guys got along. Alphas don’t like being doted on and the closest Sehun ever came to doting on you was buying you a fifth of jack whenever he was at the liquor store.” 

“I miss that guy,” Johnny said fondly. “You have a good point though. It’s a shame Taeyong’s big graduated so fast. You love being doted on, don’t you babe?” 

“I-I don’t mind it,” Taeyong said, and blushed as Jaehyun’s other hand crept under his shirt too and splayed across the center of his midsection, at the base of his ribs. This probably counted as being felt up, right in the middle of the studio in front of Johnny. Besides the Yuta incident, it was the sexiest thing he’d done in years. 

“You always wear baggy clothes,” Jaehyun murmured against his back. “It’s hard to tell how skinny you are.” 

“Why do you think I wear baggy clothes?” He placed a hand firmly over Jaehyun’s when it tried to creep up to his chest. “Weren’t we trying to plan a party here?” 

“Oh yeah.” Johnny grabbed the pen and the notebook out of Taeyong’s lap and started jotting his own notes down. “The pork shoulder experiment worked well enough that I think we could do that for the party. It makes a lot of food. We could have a barbeque bar out back and a dance floor in the living room. Taeil can make his signature party punch. We’ll have beer pong and drinking games throughout the night, that’ll be a good way to get to know people.” 

Taeyong doubted Johnny even cared if he was listening, so he didn’t feel bad when he zoned out and focused on Jaehyun petting his tummy instead. It was a heady feeling to have Jaehyun’s solid, warm body pressed up against his, not unlike the one he got when he was pinned under Yuta’s lithe frame in his hot little sex cave. Taeyong remembered that he hadn’t realized how touch-starved he was until Yuta’s skin against his made his blood race in his veins. Jaehyun’s hands gave him the same feeling, like he was sinking in his warm honey, but so much more soothing and gentle. He tipped his head to rest against Jaehyun’s hair as Jaehyun’s fingertips brushing along his bottom rib made him melt.

The baggy clothes proved useful once again when Taeyong woke up hard with his head in Jaehyun’s lap and Jaehyun’s hand still petting gently at his stomach. He was curled up on his side, so neither alpha would be able to tell how aroused he was. There was another sharp tap, and Taeyong realized he’d woken up because Johnny was crunched up under the desk trying to fix the wobbly leg with a screwdriver and handful of packing peanuts. The place smelled like lemons, the desk was organized, and there was a Target bag full of dead leaves next to Taeyong’s freshly pruned plants. His boner decided it had no intention of going away, so he closed his eyes and pretended to keep sleeping. 

“—can’t tell if this is going to be a good cycle or not,” Johnny said, muffled under the table. “Nesting always starts out fun and ends up being terrible. It’s day two and I’m exhausted.” 

“I’m already having more fun than last time.” Jaehyun murmured, just a breath above a whisper. “It’s fucking sad that my frat president is going to end up being a better nesting buddy than my ex-girlfriend was.” 

“She wasn’t an omega, dude, you can’t expect her to be chill with somebody going all husband on her after, what was it, three months of dating?” 

Jaehyun sighed. “I know, I know.” 

“Besides, Taeyong would make a better wife than most omegas I know so it’s really not that sad.”

“True.” Jaehyun gently pawed at the jut of his hipbone. “How is he so pretty?” 

“He’s too hot with his freaky giant anime eyes, it’s not fair.”

Jaehyun laughed and brushed Taeyong’s bangs off his forehead. Taeyong got an uncomfortable prickle at the back of his neck that told him he was being looked at. Johnny swore softly as the table clanked.

With a gentle sweet of Jaehyun’s fingers, Taeyong’s bangs fall back into place. “You think Yuta and Taeil will move in together for three days so we can have some privacy for rut? I know we’re close but we’re not that close.” 

“Nah, they’ll probably think its funnier to let us suffer, and there’s no way Yuta’s ever sharing his room with another alpha. Get ready to see a lot of my knot, dude.” 

“Ugh, fuck no.”

“Don’t pretend you’ve never jerked off with me in the room,” Johnny grumbled. Taeyong took slow deep breath and just barely kept from grinning. 

Jaehyun’s hand tensed up on his stomach. “Never when I thought you were awake.” 

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are.” 

Jaehyun heaved a deep sign. “You fucked that tri-delt omega on St Patty’s day last year when I was in the room.” 

There was a sharp ting as the screwdriver hit something it wasn’t supposed to. “Shit, dude, I thought you were passed the fuck out.” 

“Nope,” said Jaehyun, and the P pop out of his mouth extra loud. “I had to have class with that girl for the rest of the semester.”

“Sorry,” said Johnny, snickering.

“I had to look her in the face and pretend I didn’t know what her slick smelled like. Or what she sounded like moaning ‘god you’re so big, daddy,’ over and over again.” 

Taeyong snorted and slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Oh shit, Yong’s awake.” 

“I don’t have a daddy kink!” Johnny said at double the volume all of a sudden. 

“Bullshit,” Taeyong giggled. 

“Hey!” 

“How long was I asleep?” he squinted at his watch, but it was too dark. 

“About an hour and a half. It’s almost midnight.” Jaehyun brushed his bangs out of his face again. 

“Wow, I was out.” He pushed himself up out of Jaehyun’s lap and curled up on the couch next to him, knees against his chest. The boner was beginning to deflate, thank goodness. “Did you plan any more of the party?” 

“Yup, it’s all planned.” Johnny turned back to his project under the desk. Taeyong pulled his notebook back out of his backpack and flipped to the right page. On the left side there was a shopping list of food which started with ‘chips and dip’ and got gradually more ambitious until they were serving giant pans of homemade macaroni and cheese and broccoli salad, though that one was crossed out. On the other side of the page there was a list of drinking games and a half-done diagram of a shot glass Ferris wheel that had also been crossed out. The opposite page had thirty or so nitpicky housekeeping chores that had to be done before the party. 

“You guys know we’re hosting a handful of underclassmen, not the university board of directors, right?” 

“I crossed off the vegetables,” Jaehyun grumbled. He scooted closer until their hips were pressed together and slung an arm around Taeyong’s shoulders. 

“Gimme that pen, I’m going to cross more things out.” 

He held out a hand and both alphas dove for the pen. Jaehyun yanked it from Johnny’s fingers and delivered it to Taeyong’s waiting palm. “Are you sure? We don’t have to do all this, but it would be good to leave our options open.” 

“We have a budget.” He crossed cheese board off the list. “You wanted the new guys to get a feel for our vibe, and I hate to break it to you but the Sigma Mu vibe does not include-” he slashed his pen through “-finger sandwiches.” 

Jaehyun snorted and Johnny looked over his shoulder, a little sheepish. “I don’t even remember writing that but good point.” 

“There’s a guest list on the back,” Jaehyun said with a grin that was a little too wide. Taeyong flipped it over and blinked at a block of Greek letters. 

“This is just all the sororities except Zeta.” 

“They’re weird.” 

Taeyong sighed and put an X through that whole list. The next to go were any mentions of themed decoration or any drinking game more elaborate than flip cup. He wrote **keep it low key** at the top of the page in big letters and hoped that would be enough to keep Johnny from turning their little introduction party into a full blown wedding reception. Then he narrowed down the menu to something their outdated kitchen and bare bones budget could actually handle in an afternoon and put a star next to the ten or so chores that were actually necessary.

“Johnny, are you going to be finished with my desk anytime soon? I gotta work.” 

“Just a second, honey.” He twisted around under the desk and poked a packing peanut into the joint of the wobbly leg. 

By the time he was done. Jaehyun was wrapped around him like an octopus again. Johnny took the notebook out of Taeyong’s hands and blinked down at all of his black lines. “Wow, that’s so much better.” 

“It’s a lot less work, right?” 

“I was beginning to feel anxious about it, but this looks manageable.” He gave Taeyong’s head a friendly pat. “Cool. Jay, let’s let Taeyong get back to his music stuff.” 

Jaehyun groaned loudly and cuddled harder with a leg over Taeyong’s lap and his head tucked against Taeyong’s neck. 

“Come on, we need to make sure the kids get to bed on time.” 

“They’ll be fine,” Jaehyun whined. Taeyong couldn’t help but coo at the big handsome alpha clinging to him like Johnny was trying to take his favorite teddy bear. 

“You need to go to bed too, Jaehyun.” 

“Tomorrow is Saturday,” Jaehyun whined, and dragged Taeyong up onto his lap again. “I’ll just sleep here.”

“Oh my god, Jaehyun, please remember that he’s not actually your boyfriend.” 

Jaehyun let out a deep sigh and sagged against Taeyong’s shoulder. His arms flopped loose.

“Aww, Jay—” Johnny’s massive arms snaked around Taeyong’s chest and lifted him easily off Jaehyun’s lap. Jaehyun whined and grabbed weakly at Taeyong’s arms as he left. 

“Yup, time for bed.” Johnny set Taeyong gently in his desk chair and grabbed Jaehyun instead to pull him off the couch. “You’ll see Yong in the morning.” 

Poor Jaehyun let his bangs flop over his eyes and sighed again. He looked legitimately distressed, but he shook himself and blinked a few times and just looked kind of sulky instead. “Fine, I’m coming.” 

Taeyong couldn’t bear to see any of his SigMu brothers look so sad. He grabbed Jaehyun’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Jaehyun cracked a smile. 

“Don’t encourage him, he’ll just get clingier.” Johnny dragged Jaehyun away. 

“He’s probably right,” Jaehyun muttered, but he didn’t let go of Taeyong’s hand until Johnny physically pulled him away. 

“Come on, let’s go nag Mark and Donghyuck.” 

“Okay,” Jaehyun gave Taeyong a final wave and then they slipped out the door and it snapped shut behind them. Taeyong took a deep breath and raised his seat back up to its regular height. It was definitely more ergonomic than Jaehyun, but somehow it wasn’t nearly as comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess which sorority i was in :D


	3. Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One may notice that there are some members of NCT that are not in this fic currently. That is for two reason. The first is for plot. I really wanted to limit the number of people in the frat so they're very small. The other is because I'm still pretty new to NCT. I've been writing this for a while, and while I was at this point in the writing there were still members of Wayv I wasn't familiar with. I would rather get to know them and write them well than shove them in and regret how I wrote them later, so those boys are studying abroad this semester. That doesn't mean I do not love them. I do. But if I went back now and re-edited massive parts of this fic to include them, I would never post.

Just as Taeyong was settling down for what hoped would be a decent nap, Doyoung’s morning alarm woke him up for the third time. “What if you catch feelings?” Doyoung said from his bed after Taeyong threw a pillow at him. “You’ve got two good looking guys treating you like their sweetheart for two whole weeks. After that you’re just going to be another beta guy to them, but what if you miss one?” 

“Uh—” 

“Jaehyun. I mean what if you miss Jaehyun, just so we’re clear.” 

Taeyong laughed and cracked an eye open in time to see Doyoung stumble on the way out of bed and stub his toe on his chair. “Why wouldn’t I miss Johnny?” 

Doyoung gave him a look. “Johnny’s a handsome guy, but you’ve always been weak for Jaehyun’s dimples and now he’s the one who’s going to be cuddling your lonely ass all the time and sweet talking you like you’re his little princess, and I know you’re weak for that too.” He walked up to Taeyong’s bed and leaned right down in his face. “I bet fifty bucks that you guys are going to fuck by the end of his rut.” 

Taeyong frowned and turned over. “I’m not making that bet. Hand me my meds.” 

“You’re going to catch feelings so hard.” 

“I’ll just rebound with Yuta. It’ll be fine.” 

Doyoung snorted. A little orange bottle landed in front of his face. “Speaking of Yuta, he had a point, maybe you should think really hard about whether or not putting your heart in their hormonal, fickle hands is a good idea.” 

Taeyong sighed as he fished another little pill out of the bottle. “I’m not that worried. Johnny’s no big deal obviously. I know there’s a chance Jaehyun might fuck me up but… he really needs somebody for this, I can’t just leave him out to dry. I can get over feelings if I have to.”

For a few moments Doyoung didn’t respond. Taeyong could hear him rustling around in his dresser, pulling on clothes. He realized his eyes wouldn’t stay closed, despite how much they ached with exhaustion. 

“I guess I have to admit,” Doyoung grumbled, “if you had a chance to help any of your friends and chose to protect yourself instead, I would wonder what the hell you’d done with my best friend. Sometimes I wish you weren’t such a martyr, but I still admire you for it.”

“Aw Doie,” Taeyong turned the pill over in his fingers a couple times, stomach churning. “I admire you too, for your unflinchingly blunt approach to every situation. It’s helped me a lot over the years.” 

“Really? Then why do you always say ‘shut the fuck up, Doyoung, you’re such a dick, leave me alone.’” 

“That was only one time!” Taeyong whined and turned back over. Doyoung glared as he stretched his weirdly thick legs into too tight pants in a pose that resembled a dog pissing on a tree. “And I apologized right after!” 

“It was the meanest thing you’ve ever done, and I was so proud of you.” He marched over and pushed Taeyong’s hand up to his lips. Taeyong let the pill fall into his mouth and swallowed it.

“Thanks.” 

Doyoung frowned. “Does it always take you that long to take your pill?” 

“Usually longer.” 

Doyoung sighed and pursed his lips. Taeyong blinked up at him. Doyoung checked his watch and then slapped a hand down on Taeyong’s shoulder. “Don’t catch feelings for Jaehyun.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m in less danger than you think. It kinda feels like taking care of the kids like usual. Like when I give Lucas massages or cook comfort food for Jungwoo.” 

“It won’t feel like that when he sticks his tongue down your throat.” 

Taeyong was running out of defenses. “I didn’t catch feelings for Yuta.” 

Doyoung rolled his eyes. “You fucked him once and then you spent three days scrubbing his cum out of laundry. That’s not exactly a recipe for feelings. Go the fuck to sleep.” He aggressively tucked Taeyong’s blankets around his shoulders and turned on his heel. “Goodnight, Yongie.” 

“Night.” 

Taeyong didn’t sleep though. He lay awake for another hour before he gave up and typed up an agenda for the next Interfraternity Council meeting instead. 

When the door opened again, it wasn’t Doyoung. It was Jaehyun with a steaming mug of coffee. “Feeling up for lunch, babe?” 

“Ohmygodcoffee.” He downed half of it right away. It was the perfect temperature for drinking. “And no, sorry.” 

“I’ll bring you some protein bars.” He disappeared from the room and came back a minute later with a random assortment that Taeyong was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to choke down. He opened the most flavorless one and tried anyway. Jaehyun dragged Doyoung’s chair over from his desk and sat down next to him. “What are you working on?” 

“IFC stuff.” 

“Sit up straight, babe.” He touched Taeyong’s lower back and slid his hand up his spine, pressing it into a healthier shape. Taeyong rolled his shoulders back. 

“Thank you,” he chirped. 

“Mm.” Jaehyun scratched his back over the shirt. 

Taeyong drank the last of his coffee. Jaehyun got up and brought him more. “Johnny bought one of those pour over things and a weird electric kettle for some fancy coffee,” he said. “He’s been experimenting with it all morning.” 

Taeyong’s next sip was a little more thoughtful, and sure enough, it was distinctly smoother and more flavorful than the usual wannabe Starbucks swill their old, abused machine spat out. “It’s nice.” 

“Yeah, I like it.” 

“At least he didn’t buy an espresso machine.” 

“Shh!” Jaehyun whipped around to make sure Johnny wasn’t standing in the doorway. “Don’t say stuff like that, he’ll buy one and charge it to the frat housekeeping fund.” 

Taeyong snickered. “If we tripled the housekeeping budget, it still wouldn’t cover the cost of a decent espresso machine.” 

“Johnny and I have already stretched that budget thin in the past three days.” Jaehyun gave him a wide-eyed look with both dimples threatening to dip all the way into his cheeks. “We’d have to cancel Fall Formal to cover an espresso machine.” 

“Wait, how do you even have access—” he swiped over to his browser and pulled up the frat’s financial info. Sure enough. Almost two-hundred dollars had been spent at Target in the past three days, on a distressingly long list of things that included coffee accoutrements, new shower curtains, and a cookie jar shaped like R2D2. 

“What’s wrong with the old shower curtains?” 

“They were moldy.” 

“Then scrub the mold off.” 

Jaehyun blinked at him. “But the new ones are really cool. They have whales on them.” 

Taeyong groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He had forgotten Johnny, vice president of recruitment, had access to the Sigma Mu card. “Okay, here’s the deal. While you’re nesting, you guys need to type up a proposal for every time you want to use SigMu money and let me or the treasurer sign off on it.” 

Jaehyun’s eyebrows show up. “We have to get permission from Donghyuck?” 

“Yup. Or me.” 

“But—” 

“Jaehyun, our budget is so thin, you can’t spend everybody’s dues on cookie jars and whale curtains. What if the washing machine broke and we had to spend the t-shirt fund and the event fund to pay for it?” 

Jaehyun, the brat, pouted at him. The look included puppy dog eyes under long eyelashes, pouty lips, and a single lonely dimple when he pursed his lips just a little. Taeyong almost laughed. He narrowed his eyes at him, and then hit him back with his own pout, but his had super big, sparkling eyes and fluttering lashes and the bonus of looking like a sickly shelter puppy all the time. Jaehyun’s adorable pout slid right off his face and became very alarmed. 

“Fuck, okay, sorry, sorry.” He scrambled for his phone and compulsively pet at Taeyong’s cheek. “I’m texting Johnny so he won’t buy that… yeah, we’ll ask from now on, sorry to stress your budget.” 

“Seriously, what is it about me that makes you guys think I’m a pushover? I’m really not.” 

“I know you aren’t,” Jaehyun said, all soft and placating and rubbed a hand heavily over his thigh. “You’re just so sweet, sometimes I forget.” 

“Just because I’m weak on the outside-“

“You’re not weak, Taeyong, don’t say that.” 

“Pff.” Taeyong held up a bony hand, which after a mostly sleepless night and a cup and a half of coffee, trembled pitifully like he was ready for a nursing home. “Some days I can’t even walk to class without getting dizzy.” 

“Yong…” Jaehyun whined his name and reached for him like he was about to pull Taeyong onto his lap again. He got a hand on his thigh and around his shoulders, but hesitated, and then seemed to think better of it and leaned in for a snuggle instead. 

“Yong!” Another, much louder voice whined from the doorway and Johnny came in with the poutiest face yet. “Seriously? A proposal for every single time we want to buy anything?” 

“Yes.” 

“Honeyyyy,” He draped himself over Taeyong’s shoulders with a wash of rich alpha smell and squashed Taeyong’s posture right out of him. Jaehyun got elbowed out of the way. “That’ll take so long. Come on, I know the budget, I won’t overspend.” 

“You already overspent!” Taeyong gestured at the financial page. “The housekeeping budget is supposed to be for dish soap, toilet paper, and emergencies.” 

“And general home improvement! It says so in the bylaws!” he squished his face right into Taeyong’s neck and Taeyong stiffened and yelped when he felt soft wet lips latch onto his skin under his ear. Snuggles and forehead pecks were a strange enough thing to do with your frat bros. Neck sucking was a whole new level of weird. “Please baby,” Johnny moaned. A shiver ran all the way down Taeyong’s spine. “Please don’t do this.” 

“Now who has to remember that I’m not their actual boyfriend?” He grabbed Johnny’s arms as Johnny slurped his way up his neck. “Holy shit, Johnny.” Another sharp shiver down his spine made Taeyong gasp as Johnny’s mouth latched on his pulse point and sucked like he was trying to leave a mark. _Fuck_ it felt good. He reached up and grabbed Johnny’s hair to either pull him away or push him closer, he wasn’t sure. “Johnny, stop, what the fuck?” 

Johnny finally pulled back and stood up, which had him towering over Taeyong in his chair. He leaned in and planted a hand on the desk. Taeyong gave up on his plan to stand. “That’s literally in the bylaws. It says general home improvement is part of the housekeeping fund. We’re about to try to recruit new guys, now is the time to improve the home.” 

Jaehyun took the opportunity to snuggle back into the side of Taeyong’s neck that wasn’t wet, so he wasn’t going to be any help at all. Taeyong tried to look authoritative even though he had his neck craned back and an armful of needy boy. 

“Those bylaws were written for a frat with at least quadruple the membership that we have right now. We have twelve active members, dude. Twelve. Our entire budget comes from the dues of twelve people plus the pennies we get from the four guys studying abroad.” 

“Oh shit,” said Jaehyun, and Johnny’s jaw snapped shut. Only for a moment though. 

“But the budget is like five hundred dollars. I’m sure we can spare thirty dollars for rad shower curtains.”

“That five hundred dollars is to pay a plumber if a toilet disintegrates, not decorate!” He reached up to push Johnny’s hair out of the way so he could look him in both eyes. “If nothing goes wrong and we don’t have to spend it, then we can decide what nice things we want to spend it on for next semester, but we can’t spend it until we know we won’t need it.” 

Johnny frowned. “Do we have any leftover from last semester?” 

“No. Remember the squirrel infestation? It was expensive.” He gave Johnny’s lower lip a poke. “Who knew my big bad alphas were such tenacious pouters?” 

“We really can’t use the housekeeping fund at all?” 

“You can write a proposal, and then either me or the treasurer can approve it.” 

“ _Donghyuck?_ ” Johnny swung his disbelieving face over to Jaehyun, who had apparently neglected to mention that part in his text. “You want _me_ to ask my actual _child_ for money? How is he going to learn to respect my authority?” 

Jaehyun chuckled against Taeyong’s shoulder. Taeyong rolled his eyes. “He’s not your child, he’s your SigMu treasurer, and you have to consult him before using SigMu money. Or me.” 

“He’s only treasurer because he conned his way into it,” Johnny grumbled, but he finally stood up straight and stopped hovering over Taeyong like an overgrown bat. Taeyong tipped his head back down and rolled his neck around as best he could with Jaehyun in the way to try and get the stiffness out. 

“I’m sorry we can’t afford to indulge your nesting instincts, but we really shouldn’t be spending other brothers’ dues on your hormones anyway.” 

“Ouch, harsh,” said Johnny, but Jaehyun hummed and said “good point babe.” 

“Okay, well, I’m going to go back downstairs because Mark said he’d go to the gym with me.” 

“I doubt he said that,” Jaehyun muttered. 

“Jay, wanna come?” 

“Heck yeah.” He bounced up and gave Taeyong a final peck on the head before heading out the door. 

“Johnny, be sweet to Mark, it’s really not fair to make him work out with two alphas.” 

Johnny beamed. “No worries, honey, I’ll go easy on him.” He waved goodbye and shut the door. Taeyong tried to remember if they still had enough ice to fill their blow-up kiddy pool for poor Mark. 

It was a long day full of hauling buckets of ice back and forth from the science building ice machine, lifting furniture to drag the rugs out for cleaning, hauling cases of beer from the back door to Johnny’s car in the middle of the afternoon without being seen, mediating passive aggressive Facebook conversations between other frats’ leadership, and also a fair amount of sneaking off to cough up water into the toilet or clutch the closest wall while his head spun when no one was looking.

“Feeling good enough for dinner?” Jaehyun asked, and Taeyong almost laughed. 

“No, I ate your protein bars though.” That was a lie. “So I’ll just have some crackers or something and I won’t drink tonight.” That was also a lie. It was a shame. Jaehyun’s stuffed peppers looked delicious. The whole house smelled like cheese and beef and Taeyong breathed slowly and choked down some ginger candy even though it made his mouth burn. “You’ll have to make that for me some other time,” he said. Jaehyun looked pleased. 

“I’ll package yours up and you can eat it later.” 

Which meant Taeyong would end up regretfully sloughing it off on Doyoung because his stomach could handle food as rich as ground beef and cheese about once in a blue moon. The grilled cheese the day before had probably filled that slot.

“Why are we going to Ten’s again?” he said as they finally left the house. 

“The nesters said the house wasn’t party ready,” Taeil said with a grin. “Even though it’s just the guys and we’re just drinking and Ten’s place is way messier.” 

“I hate drinking at Ten’s,” Jungwoo whined. “Then we have to walk home.” 

“Not if you get too drunk and they put you in the car,” Donghyuck said, and Jungwoo perked right up. 

“Guess I’m blacking out tonight.” 

The boys marched on at a pretty fast clip, which was usually fine, but Taeyong had already gotten far more than his usual physical activity for one day. Walking usually kind of helped his stomach but not when the pace had him short of breath in the first couple minutes. After the third time his tired legs tripped on the sidewalk, he slid a hand onto Doyoung’s shoulder.

“You okay?” Doyoung asked quietly as Taeyong leaned a good percentage of his bodyweight on the hand. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

The fourth time he tripped, Doyoung put a supportive arm around his waist and said, “hey guys, can we slow down?” 

“What?” Donghyuck spun around. “What’s wrong, Doyoung, can’t keep up with the—oh Taeyong. Sorry man, yeah we can slow down.” 

Taeyong realized he must look pretty bad, all hunched over and panting and gripping Doyoung like he was about to fall. 

“Sorry guys,” he gasped, trying not to sound winded and failing. 

“No, you’re good, sorry for sprinting.” 

Once they were moving again, this time at a casual stroll, Doyoung leaned in and asked like he asked every time, “are you sure you want to drink tonight?” 

Taeyong scoffed. “Fuck yeah, I got two new boyfriends and they’re both alphas. I need a fucking drink.” 

The pace didn’t stay at a casual stroll for long. The boys in front of them sped up again, until they were almost to Ten’s apartment and Taeyong was out of breath and ready to collapse and only then realized he had four flights of stairs to climb. 

Right on time, Johnny’s car pulled up into the closest handicap parking spot and Mark’s head poked out of the back seat. “Hey guys, fancy seeing you here.” He opened the door and tumbled out in a heap.

“How come Mark got to ride in the car!” Jungwoo wailed.

“Leg day with the alphas,” Yuta explained with a big grin as he peeled a groaning Mark off the sidewalk. “Come on Markie, you can do it, lock those knees.” 

“Any campus security nearby?” 

“Nope,” Taeil said, hopping up and down to see over cars. 

“Hurry up so we can move out of the handicap spot,” Taeyong shouted. 

Jaehyun leapt out of the back, popped open the trunk, and hauled two cases of beer up the walkway at top speed. Yuta grabbed the third in one hand and slung Mark over his shoulder with the other. “Okay, let’s go.” 

“Dude, you are not carrying me up all those stairs like this.” 

“Oh, you’d rather climb them yourself on those pathetic little legs?’ 

“Hey, my legs aren’t—AH!” He jerked as Yuta spanked him and did not put him down. They followed Jaehyun and the rest of the crew up the walk. Doyoung and Taeyong came last, but before Johnny, who was parking the car somewhere legal. 

“Think Yuta will carry me next if I ask?” 

“I mean probably but do you really want him to?” 

Somewhere above them Mark screamed and Yuta cackled. 

“Yeah, no.” 

“You guys good?” Johnny bounced up the stairs two at a time with a bright smile and a handle of vodka. 

“Uh… yeah.” Taeyong took the next few steps like nothing was wrong except he had a white-knuckle grip on the banister and his legs kept wobbling. 

“Wanna piggy-back?” 

“Oh.” He looked up the next flight and admitted to himself that his legs weren’t going to make it. “Sure.” 

“Give me the booze,” Doyoung said. He snatched it away from Johnny as soon as he held it out and scurried up the stairs with it clutched to his chest. 

“I thought you were working a little too hard today,” Johnny said. He pet Taeyong’s hair. “You always push yourself so hard.” 

“O-oh, I don’t really.” Taeyong climbed onto Johnny’s back with only a little help. “I’ve just felt like crap for so long that I learned to ignore it. I can’t just not do shit if I feel bad. I’d never do anything.” 

Johnny climbed steadily. The stairs passed below them like they weren’t even there. 

“I actually got the impression you felt pretty good today because you were so busy. I was surprised when Jaehyun said you didn’t eat dinner.” 

Taeyong let himself feel a little proud. “Oh, no I felt pretty shitty today, but it’s okay now. I get to chill out with the guys and have a drink.” 

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.” He nuzzled against Taeyong’s head and Taeyong smiled. It was nice to receive the same kind of affection he was always handing out for once. 

“Finally, the president is here!” Ten yelled when they came in and pushed a tall shot glass into his hand as he climbed off Johnny’s back. Taeyong ignored his rolling stomach and tossed it back. It hit his throat and burned up into his eyes. He shuddered and shook his head until it settled and then it was a matter of swallowing down the urge to hack it right back up onto Ten’s floor. 

“Aaaand he’s done for the night!” Ten yelled. 

“Hey, shut up.” Taeyong gratefully took the bottle of water that Mark offered him from the couch. 

“That was a lot for you, gorgeous.” Ten gave him a firm slap on the back and Taeyong took a deep breath and tried not to gag. “You’re the biggest lightweight I’ve ever met.” 

“Johnny and Jaehyun talked about you the entire way here, by the way,” Mark said. “They’re fucking whipped.” 

“And who wouldn’t be?” Ten steered Taeyong away from Johnny towards the kitchen. “Tell me all about it, Yong. Are you enjoying butt sex?” 

“Oh my god, Ten, I’m not fucking them.” Kun and Lucas were both in the kitchen, conspiring over the punch bowl. “I’m just, like, an emotional support pseudo-boyfriend.” 

“Yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts, you secret slut you.” 

“Wait, what?” Lucas whipped around with his eyes the size of dinner plates. “Taeyong has sex?” 

“No.” Taeyong put a firm hand on Lucas’s shoulder so he wouldn’t panic. “Don’t listen to the mean boy, Lucas, I don’t have sex. I don’t even have genitals, I’m like a Ken doll.” 

“Oh thank god.” Lucas grinned like a happy golden retriever. 

“He’s lying Lucas, he might look like an angelic Victorian doll but I’m sure he’s the freakiest slut in the whole chapter.” 

Lucas looked horrified again. 

“I’m really not.” 

“Not yet, but with two new horny alpha boyfriends?” 

“Are you gay?” Lucas gasped, clutching his invisible pearls. 

“It’s only a matter of time before you give it a try,” Ten crossed his arms and smirked. “Don’t be scared, Yong,” he said right as Yuta elbowed past them with Donghyuck on the way to the fridge. “Butt sex is fun.” 

Yuta threw a quick, wide eyed glance over his shoulder at Taeyong, who looked away fast. 

“I’ll… take your word for it.” 

“I bet you’d be so pretty taking dick.” 

“This is hazing,” Taeyong grumbled as Yuta stared blankly into the fridge like the sixty cans of the same beer sitting right in front of his face were giving a really hard time. 

“What makes you so sure he’s never taken dick?” said Kun, which was both very out of character and very inconvenient. 

“Pfft,” Ten leaned in, eyes twinkling. “Have you ever taken dick?” He said, just humoring Kun, and oh how fast Taeyong would have lied if the dick he’d taken wasn’t in the very room, letting more and more cold air out of the fridge. 

“…nn…hhhhh….” 

“Yuta move,” Donghyuck growled and then jumped hard when Ten screamed-

“WHAT??” 

“Brb, gonna go have a quick vom,” said Taeyong, and dashed for the bathroom.

It really was quick, Taeyong was an expert. He was back in about a minute and was greeted by a ginger ale courtesy of Kun and the grim realization that Yuta was still in the kitchen, pointedly not looking at him. 

“Who did you fuck?” Ten demanded, and Yuta tried to exit and was blocked by Donghyuck whining about Johnny taking his drink because he wasn’t twenty-one. 

“Uh, some gir-guy in high school, nobody you know. Um. So—basketball team.” His cheeks burned. He sipped his ginger ale and looked around for the vodka. 

“And how’d it go?” Ten stretched out like a cat over the kitchen counter to get into Taeyong’s line of sight. 

“It was fffine…” 

“Hey dude, are you listening,” Donghyuck whined, followed by a little yelp from Yuta as he got pinched or something. 

“Oh my god please stop talking about this!!” Lucas straight up lifted Ten to the other side of the kitchen. 

“No! I have to know!” 

Taeyong cleared his throat. “I need more vodka. Just flushed most of mine.” 

“Yeah of course.” Lucas yanked it off the top of the fridge, flicked off the cap, and wrapped an arm around Taeyong’s shoulders so he could pour the vodka straight into his ginger ale with one hand and hold Ten halfway across the kitchen with the other. “Don’t worry, Taeyong, I’ll protect you from my weird big.” 

“Thanks.” 

“How big was the dick?” Ten screeched. 

Taeyong sank further back into Lucas’s pleasant alpha-smelling arm. “Don’t remember.” 

Lucas’s eyes bugged. “How’s the nesting going?!” Vodka spilled over the top of the can and down Taeyong’s fingers. 

“Good so far-that’s good, thanks.” 

“They seem like they’d be really nice boyfriends.”

“Yes you can stop pouring now.” 

“Oh woops.” Lucas reached over his shoulder to set the vodka back on the fridge. “I get really cuddly when I nest.” 

“So does Jaehyun. Johnny just gets annoyingly manly.” 

“I can’t believe they’re treating you like an omega,” Lucas giggled, “but I guess that makes sense.” 

Taeyong raised his eyebrows. “Why’s that?” 

“If you were a girl, you’d be an omega.” 

Taeyong hummed ruefully. He noted that the rest of the kitchen was pretty quiet, so everybody else had probably heard that.

“Lucas you shouldn’t say that,” said Yuta of all people. 

“Huh? Why not?” 

“That is kind of a rude thing to say to a dude,” Kun hummed. 

“It’s not a big deal.” Taeyong waved a hand and was pleased to feel that the vodka was kicking in. 

“I just meant that he’s pretty.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with being girly,” Donghyuck said and crossed his arms. “Right, Ten?” 

Ten gave him a judgy once-over. “You don’t get to call me girly until your balls drop.” 

Kun cut of Donghyuck’s rebuttal. “I mean I guess we all know why Lucas thinks Taeyong would be an omega, but it’s kind of rude to say it.” 

“Stop acting like being omega-like is a bad thing,” Ten snapped. 

“Could you guys chill?” Taeyong took a couple swigs of vodka ale and the made a big gesture with his arm and spilled some on the floor. “I mean Yuta and Kun are kind of right, all of you think I’d be an omega because I’m, like, frail and soft or whatever.” 

“I was thinking it was because you’re the one in the house that the alphas would instinctually think needs the most protection,” Kun said. 

“Because I’m pitiful?” 

“…No?” 

“I was thinking it was because you were the most fuckable,” said Ten. 

“Great, I’m pitiful and fuckable, and that makes me the best omega stand in?” He looked around at all of them, looking all uncomfortable and guilty. “Am I just the easiest target?” He made eye contact with Yuta at exactly the wrong moment. Yuta eyes jerked down to his drink and he didn’t look back up. Taeyong’s stomach turned as everybody stammered out half-hearted arguments. 

“That’s not what I meant!” Lucas howled. He hugged Taeyong tight to his chest. His nose landed right in a patch of cologne and Taeyong swallowed down another gag.

“I know, Lucas, it’s fine,” he managed after a second. “I didn’t take it personally; I’m just being difficult.” He hugged Lucas back for just long enough to make sure he felt better, and then scampered off to the bathroom again. 

Doyoung met him at the bathroom door on his way out. “One of those chug and barf nights?” Doyoung guessed, and Taeyong wordlessly pushed him back into the bathroom and closed the door behind them. Ten had a fluffy rug in front of the toilet. It was a very comfortable place to throw up. Taeyong dispensed of the ginger vodka, flushed, and then sat back against the tub and reported the whole incident to Doyoung, who leaned against the sink and shook his head a lot, and occasionally winced.

“Wow, poor Yuta, that sounds so awkward.” 

“Poor me!” Taeyong whined. “It was really awkward!” 

“I wonder what’s up with him.” 

“He obviously feels bad about something,”

Doyoung winced yet again. “Maybe he really does think you’re the easiest target.” 

“But we know that’s not why he fucked me,” Taeyong rested his head back on the toilet and felt the vodka spin his brain around. He sat up straight again. “We know that he picked me because I’m actually an omega, but since he doesn’t know that, he probably made up his own explanations. Maybe they’re shitty ones.” 

Doyoung pursed his lips and pushed himself off the sink so he could come sit on the fluffy rug too. “Maybe it was just a coincidence, Yong. It shouldn’t be possible for them to tell you’re an omega. You’re not supposed to have any omega chemicals at all.” 

Taeyong frowned at him. “You think it might actually be because I’m the easiest target?” 

“Well don’t phrase it like that,” Doyoung grumbled and shrugged. “But like… you are the most omega-like even without the omega pheromones. You’re gentle and nice.” 

“And pitiful and girly.” 

Doyoung’s eyes slid sideways. “I wouldn’t say girly, but you are kind of effeminate, yeah.” 

Taeyong tried not to sulk, he really did, but his lips got all pouty anyway and his eyebrows furrowed in. 

“Noooo! Don’t give me the kicked puppy look, please, you know it upsets me.” Doyoung dragged Taeyong into a hug and rubbed his back frantically. “Stop, you’re making me sad.” 

“Why do you have to be so blunt?” 

“I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Except you want to call yourself ‘girly’ and ‘an easy target’ and you aren’t.” He squeezed his shoulders and pet his hair a little. 

“What’s wrong with being girly?” Taeyong said and poked him in the ribs. 

“Nothin, that’s just not what you are. Ten is girly. You just look pretty.” 

Taeyong giggled. 

Somebody knocked on the door. “This place only has one bathroom,” Jungwoo sing-songed from the other side. 

“Shit,” grumbled Doyoung, and gave Taeyong a worried look. 

“I’m done whining and barfing.” 

Doyoung smiled and pat him on the head. “Let me know if you need to do it again. Be right out, little!” 

“BIG!” shrieked Jungwoo.

“Oh boy he’s so drunk.” 

There was a big hug waiting for Doyoung right outside the bathroom, and one waiting for Taeyong at the end of the hallway. Jaehyun saw him and beamed and pulled him in by the waist. Taeyong couldn’t even pretend he was indulging Jaehyun’s nesting instincts with the way he sank into his warm, broad chest. Clingy, he added to his list of why he had big omega vibes. Needy. 

“Hey there, baby,” Jaehyun purred and kissed his hair. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“You’re so warm,” Taeyong breathed. He couldn’t tell if he was sleepy or just drunk. Probably both. Definitely drunk, he decided as he hummed happily into Jaehyun’s shoulder. Jaehyun played with his hair. His hand ran gentle but firm down his back and back up again. 

“You’re really cold, you want my hoody?” 

“I don’t feel cold.” He felt a little feverish actually, but his whole body was shaking so he could see where Jaehyun had gotten that impression. 

“You sure?” 

Taeyong nodded. “I’m fine.” 

“Had enough to drink?” 

Taeyong laughed, because he’d just been freaking out a little about how hot it was that Jaehyun’s voice was so low. “Definitely.” 

“Me too,” Jaehyun murmured next to his ear. Taeyong could feel him smiling. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” 

“Well…”

“You’re the best SigMu president ever.” 

Taeyong raised his eyebrows. “Wow, you are drunk.” He stiffened up as Jaehyun’s hand slid down to palm his butt, such as it was. 

“Why do I have to be drunk to say what an amazing frat president you are?” 

“Uh…” he preemptively grabbed Jaehyun’s elbow in case baby alpha went too far and Taeyong had to move the hand quick. “You’re just a really affectionate drunk so when you start gushing compliments, I know you’re wasted.” 

“Oh.” Jaehyun giggled. “At least I’m not a loud drunk like Johnny.” 

Right on cue, Johnny yelled “I’M JUST SAYING” over whatever point Taeil (also shouting) was trying to make. 

“That’s true.” 

“I’m good when I drink, right?” Jaehyun pulled back so he could look right down into Taeyong’s face from inches away, all sparkling, smiling eyes and dimples and fluffy hair, rosy cheeks, with a hand on Taeyong’s butt and the other spread out across the center of his back. 

“Yeah,” Taeyong breathed, and his own hands slid up to Jaehyun’s shapely tricep and whatever thick, firm muscle filled out his side under his arm. Jaehyun leaned in. His breath fanned across Taeyong’s lips. Taeyong gasped. 

“Waitwait Jaehyun wait.” He tipped his face to the side and Jaehyun’s lips brushed against his cheek before he pulled back fast, eyes gleaming with hormone fueled heartbreak. Taeyong was instantly reminded of the look on Yuta’s face when Taeyong had backhanded him viciously across the cheek in his horny blanket tent. “I just threw up like five minutes ago.” He rushed to explain. 

“Oh!” Jaehyun let go of his butt and felt his forehead instead. “Are you okay? You didn’t eat before you drank, I wonder if Ten would let us make you some toast or something. I’ll walk you home if you want to go home.” 

“No, I’m fine, this is normal.” He glanced to the side to avoid Jaehyun’s worried look and caught Yuta from the other side of the room staring at them. His gut turned again. “I’m good now, I promise.” 

“Okay…” Jaehyun took his face in both hands and kissed him on the forehead instead. Taeyong got a drunken stab of clarity over how weird it was that two of his frat brothers were treating him like their long-time sweetheart. “Let’s go sit down at least.” He adjusted the collar of Taeyong’s shirt. 

“Yeah, let’s.” 

More vodka than Taeyong expected had managed to make its way into his system. Jaehyun pulled him sideways onto his lap on the couch, and Johnny came and shuffled under his legs. Every time the group laughed, he realized he hadn’t been following the conversation at all. His head spun and his stomach turned. He felt pitiful and weak all spread out on two alphas’ laps like a slutty, needy little omega. Everyone probably saw him that way. 

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered to Jaehyun and slipped off his lap to go dry heave in the bathroom for a minute. 

Doyoung was in the kitchen with Ten when Taeyong passed. He swung around the doorframe into the room and didn’t realize he was falling until both Ten and Doyoung caught him. 

“Yong, you don’t look good,” Ten murmured, hands pawing clumsily at his hair. 

“I think I need to head home.” 

“I’ll walk—” 

“No, no. I can get there myself, I’ll go slow.” 

Doyoung clicked his tongue. 

Taeyong pushed both their weird drunk petting hands away. “It’s a fun party, I don’t want anybody to have to leave for me.” 

“Okay fine,” Doyoung said, and Ten squawked as Taeyong sighed in relief. “Let me just get one of your boyfriends to walk you down the stairs so we don’t find you at the bottom of a stairwell on the way out of here.” 

“S’probably a good idea,” Taeyong muttered. “I’ll wait outside.” He stumbled through the apartment with shaky legs and the world tipping around like a theme park ride. Ten’s hand stayed firmly on his elbow. 

“I still need to hear about your bottoming experience,” Ten said, and Taeyong caught himself about to say who it was and then realized all at once how stupidly fucking drunk he was. 

“Mmmm…” 

“Oh Yong.” Ten led them out of the apartment and leaned him up against the wall at the top of the stairs. Taeyong tried not to look at them. They were steep, jagged concrete things with cold cinderblock walls. Hard and cruel and unforgiving. 

“I don’t know if I can make it down those stairs, Ten.” 

“You’ll have a big bad alpha to carry you the whole way, baby.” He put Taeyong’s arm over his shoulder and let him lean on his side. “I can’t believe I thought you were straight.” 

“I’m bi,” he took a deep breath and barely kept himself from heaving again. “I hate this, I hate living like this.” 

“L-like what?” 

“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I feel like shit all the time, I hate this so much.” 

Ten squeezed him so hard and his next breath was all tight and shaky. Taeyong jerked his face out of Ten’s shoulder and found that his eyes were horribly wet in the dim stairwell light. 

“Oh no, Ten, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to dump that on you.”

Ten gasped and shook his head firmly. “Don’t you dare apologize. I just…” He furiously wiped his eyes. “You never show that you’re suffering. I had no idea it was so bad. I just want to help you.”

“Oh my god, we’re so drunk.” Taeyong laughed weakly and then cut it off when his stomach rolled. He tucked his face back into Ten’s neck. “You do more than enough already. It was worse than usual today, don’t worry.”

The door opened before Ten could respond. Both alphas and Doyoung piled into the hallway. Taeyong forced himself out of Ten’s shoulder so he wouldn’t look so pathetic. 

“Jaehyun’s too drunk to carry you down the stairs so I’m going to do it,” Johnny said, and Jaehyun grumbled “I’m not too drunk” but Johnny ignored him, “and then we’ll drive you home.” 

Taeyong flinched. “No, no it’s fine I just need to get down the stairs. Then I’ll walk.” 

“It’s no big deal.” Johnny twirled the keys on his finger. “It’ll only take a minute.” 

Taeyong’s stomach protested at the idea of sitting in a moving vehicle, going over speed bumps, speeding up and slowing down, turning corners. “Please don’t make me get in the car, I want to walk. I swear I’ll be fine on my own.” 

“I’ll walk with you,” Jaehyun gave Taeyong a gentle smile and took his hand. “I could use some fresh air.” 

“Jaehyun you should stay and enjoy the party.” 

He looked down at their hands with a little pout and brushed his thumb over Taeyong’s knuckles. “I wouldn’t enjoy it. I’d just sit around and miss you.” Taeyong could tell his ears turned pink even in the bad lighting. “It’s the hormones, I’m just feeling kinda…” he cleared his throat. “I’ll be lonely when you leave.” 

“Aww,” said Johnny, and ruffled Jaehyun’s hair and then turned to Ten and wiped a leftover tear off his cheek. “What’s up with you?” 

“Oh, Taeyong’s just so mean, he made me cry.” 

The group collectively scoffed. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Doyoung said. “If we don’t hurry, Mark and Donghyuck will find alcohol.” 

“Can’t have that,” Johnny said, and heaved Taeyong up into his arms bridal style. Taeyong wrapped around his neck and held on. 

“You’re not really keeping them from drinking, are you?” 

“I don’t actually care, it’s just funny. Jaehyun isn’t twenty-one either.” 

Taeyong watched the stairs start to ascend behind them and squished himself closer to Johnny’s chest. It was hard to be scared when Johnny felt so steady and solid, but he knew the empty cliff of jagged cement stretched out underneath him even if he couldn’t see it. He squeezed his eyes closed and tucked his face into Johnny’s neck. 

“You’re alright, I got you,” Johnny nuzzled against his head. “I got you.” 

“Here, I’ll walk in front,” came Jaehyun’s soft voice, and when he spoke again it filled the empty space that scared him. “Now if Johnny drops you, I’ll break your fall.” 

“I’m not going to drop him,” Johnny said against his hair. “You’re really cold, Yong, want my hoody?” he could feel Johnny’s voice vibrate against his whole body where they were pressed together. 

“M’not cold. I just shake sometimes.” 

“Oh.” 

“Goodnight!” Called Doyoung from somewhere above them followed by Ten, and then it was just him and the alphas and their deep, warm smell and their strong arms. 

“Okay, we’re there.”   
Taeyong emerged from Johnny’s soft hoody and blinked around in surprise. “Wow, that was fast.” 

“It’s only four floors, babe. I’m going to set you down now.” 

His feet met the grass and Jaehyun held out an arm for Taeyong to steady himself on. Taeyong took a deep breath of fresh, cool fall air. It helped clear his head a little. “Thanks guys. Sorry I need so much help.” 

Johnny shook his head. “You’re fine. You’re not even the last drunk I’m going to be carrying down those stairs tonight.” He gave Taeyong a very warm, soft hug. “I’m happy to help you anytime, Yong, seriously. Nesting or not.” 

“Aw, thanks Johnny.” 

“No problem.” Johnny kissed him on the head and then pulled away, gently passing him to Jaehyun, who held out his arm for Taeyong to wrap around like a real gentleman. 

“Go make sure your kids are behaving, Johnny.” 

“You got it.” Johnny turned and skipped back into the building. They could see him hopping up the stairs through the stairwell window until Jaehyun turned them away and headed for the sidewalk. 

“Thanks for letting me walk with you,” Jaehyun’s hand curled over Taeyong’s where it held onto his arm.

“Thanks for coming. It’s probably a good idea anyway.” He couldn’t imagine walking home alone now that he had someone to do it with. It was such a long way with so many uneven patches of sidewalk. Doyoung probably wouldn’t have let him. He probably only said he could go on his own because he knew one of the alphas would walk him anyway. “Did you have fun nesting today?” 

“I had fun cooking for everyone and taking care of Mark, and watching you yell at Johnny. The rug thing was kind of stressful because I have no idea how to clean a rug and now we have a bunch of rugs we have to clean.” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes, because of course they would drag out all the rugs and commit themselves to a chore before they even knew how to do it. “I’ll show you, don’t worry.” 

“Thanks.” His hand squeezed around Taeyong’s. He paused patiently as Taeyong stumbled. “Nesting is weird. It’s like, it’s the only time when my instincts are so strong that I can actually notice them. Since its only twice a year, I’m never used to it. It’s strange and disorienting every time.” 

“What do nesting instincts even feel like?” 

“Hmm…” Jaehyun paused for a minute. When Taeyong looked up at his face, he had his lips pursed together, thinking. He was so handsome, maybe even more so through Taeyong’s hazy drunk lens. “For me, sometimes, it’s like… I really care about my space or the people I’m around and I want to take care of them. That’s a nice feeling. But there’s a lot of frustration too. Dinner almost didn’t happen today because I opened the oven and it didn’t look clean. I felt like I literally couldn’t do anything else until I cleaned the oven even though it was like four-hundred degrees and people were hungry.” 

“That sounds frustrating.” Taeyong was pretty sure he’d had a similar struggle himself when he tried to use that oven, instincts or not. 

“It’s not even that dirty!” 

“Hm.” 

“Johnny gets the frustration even more than me. He’ll be really grumpy if chores don’t get done. But I, um…” He ducked his head and cleared his throat a little. “I get really lonely. If I stand still for even a moment without someone to hold, it’s like physical pain.” His shoulders curled in and he rubbed a hand over his chest. 

“Oh wow, really?” 

“Yeah.” He straightened up again. Flicked his hair out of his eyes. “I mean, most of the time its more, like, irritating than painful, like in itch in the palms of my hands or a weight on my shoulders, but I’ve had to go through it a few times without a partner, or even an omega around that would let me hug her a couple times a day. Once in high school it got so bad that I tore my whole room apart.” 

“Yikes.” 

“Two ruts ago I was alone for a week and ended up hugging Johnny a lot but that barely helped. He’s not an omega.” 

Taeyong blinked. “Does it… have to be an omega?” The sidewalk leapt up and grabbed his toes. Jaehyun hauled him back up by the arm. 

“Do you want to get on my back?” 

“Uh…” Taeyong looked behind them and realized Jaehyun really had been going at his pace. They hadn’t gotten very far at all. “Yeah, let’s try that.” 

Jaehyun squatted down and Taeyong tried to collapse onto his back as gracefully as possible, but as soon as he bent his knees too far, they gave out. He toppled onto Jaehyun and almost knocked them both over. Jaehyun had to catch himself on the sidewalk. 

“Sorry, sorry.” 

“You’re good,” Jaehyun stood with firm hands wrapped around Taeyong’s thighs. “There we go. Comfy?” 

Taeyong got over the sudden disorienting head rush of being lifted. “As I can be, I guess,” he said once his eyes were able to focus again. Being pressed against Jaehyun’s back did put a worrying amount of pressure on Taeyong’s stomach, but it wasn’t a problem yet. They’d cross that bridge when they got to it. 

“It doesn’t have to be an omega, to answer your question.” 

“Oh yeah. I’m drunk, I forgot I asked.” He smiled as Jaehyun hiked him up into a more secure position and strolled off down the sidewalk like he didn’t have a hundred and twenty pounds of deadweight boy on his back. 

“If I already have a girlfriend, I just feel extra strongly towards her during nesting. Like that brand-new crush, cupcake phase feeling but mixed with deep affection like we’ve been together for years.” 

“That’s so cheesy.” 

“Yeah, haha.” He sighed. “Is this too much info?” 

“No! No, I want to know this. I’m not an alpha, so this helps me understand how we went from fist bumps to almost-kisses in the space of three days.”

“Wow, yeah, good point.” He sighed again and hiked Taeyong back up. Taeyong’s stomach kind of jumped a little bit. His eyes slipped closed and he felt abruptly like he would never be able to pry them open again.

“So if you don’t have an omega girlfriend already…” 

“Right. I’m not single during my ruts very often actually—” 

“Mm, no of course you aren’t.” 

Jaehyun laughed and tipped his head against Taeyong’s. “But me and other alphas—” 

“Other alphas and I,” Taeyong slurred. 

“Huh?” 

“Nothing.”

“Me and other alphas will find the closest friend who’s an omega, or the next best person, and just, develop, like, a crush real fast.” 

Taeyong got a pleased little tingle in his palms and giggled. “You have a crush on me?” 

“I guess crush isn’t a good word for it,” Jaehyun said, voice slipping deeper. He rested his temple against Taeyong’s hair. “It feels a lot steadier than a crush. A partnership maybe? A connection?” 

“So cheesy,” Taeyong muttered again, but he was sure Jaehyun could hear his smile. “Does Johnny have a crush on me too?” 

“Both of us are thinking of you every time we do anything during this nesting period, yeah. Johnny just doesn’t feel like he needs to hug you so much, but he gets sulky when you’re not around too.” 

“Oh, you guys are thinking of me?” 

“I barely think about anything else,” Jaehyun purred. 

“Put me down I gotta puke.” 

“Haha.” 

“No seriously.” 

Jaehyun squatted back down and Taeyong staggered to the fence and gagged over the bushes. Heat flooded his face and shivers ran up his spine. Nothing came out, despite his stomach’s best efforts. In the end he just panted and basked in the brief nausea-less period he got before it came back. The whole time, Jaehyun’s warm hand rubbed over his back, heavy and comforting. 

“Wow, you throw up really quietly.” 

“Lots of practice,” he whispered, and stood up straight again. “I’m done. Sorry about that.” 

“You’re fine.” Jaehyun squatted back down and Taeyong collapsed back on top of him. Before he knew it, they were walking again. He picked his hazy brain for the threads of the conversation. He’d been enjoying it. 

“So… when you say the next best person after an omega, who’s that? How’d I get the gig?” 

“Mm, I’m not sure. I mean…” He rested his head back on Taeyong’s. “Usually the next best thing to an omega is the closest woman. Somebody who’s also in our ‘nest’ a lot, so to speak. Like, someone in the friend group or who lives close by. Last year Johnny paired off with our RA.” 

“Bet that was awkward.” 

“Nah, we were tight with her. He didn’t try to touch her or anything, he just called her honey and acted like her personal assistant.”

Taeyong had to laugh. “That’s cute.”

“And this one time in high school I latched on to one of the beta girls in my friend group and after that we started dating.” 

“Awww…” 

“Yeah, it ended up being a good relationship but… I kinda had to date her because I hadn’t had very many cycles by that point, and I didn’t even realize I was nesting until after I went into rut…” 

“Oh no.” He could only imagine finding out that a gorgeous boy like Jaehyun only liked you because there weren’t any available omegas. “She probably had a crush on you already, poor thing.” 

“Yeah, she did,” Jaehyun groaned. “I felt so bad. I was just a dumb seventeen-year-old alpha at that point, I never would have dated a beta. But then I pretty much dated her for two weeks, so when it was over I figured we matched well enough, and I couldn’t break her heart like that. So I kept dating her. For like, a year. It was a good relationship.” 

“Aw, that’s cute.” 

“I still prefer omegas but I’m open to betas now.” 

“Yeah, I noticed.” He ran a hand through Jaehyun’s thick hair and then had to do it again because it was so nice. “Last year when you started dating a beta, all the brothers were so surprised. I don’t think the other alphas would date a beta, right?” 

Jaehyun shrugged. “There’s just a lot more betas available. Yuta might. Don’t think Johnny or Taeil would. I don’t know about Lucas but I’m assuming he doesn’t even realize betas are an option.” 

Taeyong couldn’t think of anymore questions. He took a few deep lungfuls of Jaehyun’s lovely smell until it became too rich and then it made his gut turn. After that he couldn’t get his nose far enough away from Jaehyun’s neck. 

“I think I wanna walk, if that’s okay.” 

“Yeah, sure.” Jaehyun lowered him back down. He curled around Jaehyun’s arm again. The fresh night air balanced out his smell. Much better. 

“My turn,” Jaehyun said. “How’d you make Ten cry?” 

“Uh…” Taeyong tried to remember. “I think I said something about… how I didn’t like being sick all the time and we were both all drunk and emotional.” 

“Is it really all the time?” he pulled Taeyong’s arm over his shoulder when Taeyong clung to his elbow so hard his hand shook. “Some days you definitely seem under the weather, but you seem fine most of the time.” 

“I happy to hear that, but…” he pursed his lips and wondered if he should change the subject, but Jaehyun had been very open with him. “Yeah, it’s pretty much all the time.” 

“Are you diagnosed with anything?” 

“Just insomnia.” But that wasn’t what he had pills for of course. 

“Wow.” 

“Mm. Why’d you minor in Type Studies?” 

“I wanna be a lawyer who defends type people.” 

Taeyong drunkenly imagined Jaehyun suing any of Taeyong’s future employers who threatened to fire him if he tried to go off his pills. “That’s awesome. In my high school there was a big problem with teachers not making concessions for students in rut or heat. Would you do cases like that?” 

“Yeah exactly.” The frat house came into view. Taeyong sighed with relief and then tripped. Jaehyun caught him again. “Or like the suppressants issue I was telling you guys about.” 

Taeyong’s stomach lurched back to full nausea. “Oh, how they’re bad for male omegas and stuff?” 

“Right. I’d want to defend people spreading awareness campaigns and stuff like that.” 

“That would be cool.” He congratulated himself on his acting and then tripped again. His toe throbbed. “Ow…” 

“Come here, baby.” Jaehyun swept him up like Johnny had and carried him gently down the sidewalk. Taeyong gripped his shoulders to take some of the weight off Jaehyun’s arms, though he doubted those dense alpha muscles needed much help with his skinny ass. Jaehyun’s muscles felt thick and firm under Taeyong’s fingers, even through his hoody. Taeyong let his hand wander over his round shoulder, down his straining bicep. Jaehyun’s breath hitched as Taeyong’s thumb dragged along the contours of his muscles. 

“Back at the party,” Jaehyun started, and his voice was all deep and smooth again, “if you hadn’t just thrown up, would you have let me kiss you?” 

Oh, that was a dangerous question. Taeyong bit his lip against the urge to say yes, just to make Jaehyun feel good, or no, because it was easy and safe. He settled on “I probably wouldn’t have pushed you away.” If there would have been some other instinct, to protect himself or buy them some time, the panic over the bile in his mouth had ended it before it could have arrived. His best guess was that he would have enjoyed the feeling of soft lips and gentle hands until Lucas saw them and had a loud mental breakdown or Donghyuck dumped water over their heads. 

“You’re allowed to push me away, you know.” 

“I know.” 

“I’ll try not to get all emo. Even if I do, don’t take me seriously. It’s just the hormones. I’ll get over it.” 

Taeyong regretfully took his hand off Jaehyun’s bulging triceps so he could pat his squishy cheek instead, which was admittedly just as satisfying. “I know how to turn people down, Jay. Believe me, I’ve had a lot of practice with that too.” 

“Oh, of course.” He stopped with one foot up on the bottom step of the house and lifted Taeyong closer to his stupidly handsome face. His cheek dimpled under Taeyong’s fingertips. “You’re the most breathtaking creature on the face of the planet, you must reject people on the daily.” 

Taeyong’s heart did whatever stupid thing shitty romance novels might refer to as ‘fluttering.’ His cheeks flamed as he leaned away. “Who do you think you are? Prince fucking charming? Put me down.” 

“I don’t want to.” 

A guffawing group of Greek life students passed behind them on the sidewalk, on their way from Greek row to the next party. Some girl said ‘whoa, what’s going on over there?’ and a dude’s voice said ‘what the fuck,’ followed by lots of giggling. Jaehyun’s flirty smile turned a little sheepish. 

“Are we being weird?” 

“What? No way, frat bros carry their bros romantically over the frat house threshold all the time.” 

Jaehyun snorted and lowered Taeyong back down a little bit. “Fine I’ll put you down.” His ears looked a little pink in the porch light. 

“No, I changed my mind. You better carry me.” 

“I think you can walk.” 

“Oh actually,” he winced dramatically, “I can’t… I can’t feel my legs…” 

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes. “…really?”

“Yeah, gosh, they’re just super numb all of a sudden.” He shrugged and gave Jaehyun an apologetic smile. “Carry me home, prince charming.” 

Jaehyun glanced over his shoulder at the group down the sidewalk, then over the other, and climbed the last few stairs. “I don’t believe you,” he grumbled. 

“Fine, put me down, see what happens,” Taeyong said with every intention of rolling around on the porch and dragging himself through the door like a zombie. 

“No, it’s fine.” He balanced Taeyong’s thighs on his leg as he got the front door unlocked and let them in. 

“Better hurry, I need to throw up again.” 

“And where is Mr. President’s desired location for this barf?” 

“Mmmm living room sofa.” 

“K,” he headed for the living room and Taeyong laughed. 

“I’m kidding. Bathroom, please.” 

Jaehyun scampered up the stairs at a frankly nerve-wracking speed and deposited Taeyong in front of a freshly scrubbed toilet. Taeyong did not miss the way Jaehyun was excessively careful about letting him put weight on his legs, so he made sure to shriek and drop as soon as Jaehyun seemed to think he was stable. Jaehyun yelped and grabbed him so fast that Taeyong heaved in the middle of trying to laugh. 

“Oh my god, Yong.” 

Taeyong spit into the toilet and resumed giggling. “You’re so gullible.” 

“I’m just concerned.” He giggled too. Taeyong turned half around so he could see those cute dimples. 

“Okay, I’m finished.” 

“Let’s get you to bed then. I’m going to get you some water.” 

“Thanks.” 

Bed, as usual, wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Even with teeth brushed and water drunk and pajamas on, they were back in front of the same toilet thirty minutes later when the glass of water came back up. The last of the fun had bled out of Taeyong’s drunk with a terrible case of shivers that even Jaehyun’s impressive body heat couldn’t fix. He curled around Taeyong’s back on the bathroom floor and passed him the water bottle whenever he asked. 

“You want me to stay with you?” He murmured into the nape of his neck, and Taeyong shuddered. 

“You don’t have to.” 

“I want to. I just want to make sure it’s okay.” He laced his hands through Taeyong’s and pulled him back until he was lying against Jaehyun’s chest. 

“I’d like if you stayed,” he said. His voice was rough and slurred. He felt disgusting, sweaty and sick with dried tears turning his eyes all red and puffy, but Jaehyun cuddled him close and kissed his forehead anyway. 

“Thanks,” Jaehyun whispered. Taeyong closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you skipped the beginning notes and are now wondering why there are only twelve active members of Sigma Mu instead of sixteen, please refer back to the opening notes. I hope some of you have already guessed when we'll be seeing the dreamies.


	4. Sunday-Wednesday

“Babe, your roommate says you have to wake up.” 

“Uuuh…” Taeyong whined and pressed his face into the pillow. He’d never been so warm and comfy. How dare anybody wake him up when he was asleep for once. “Nnno…” 

“It’s ten in the morning,” Jaehyun murmured behind him, still pressed up against his back. Taeyong snuggled into him. Not even the god-awful taste in his mouth could convince him to leave the cuddle. 

“Mmm…” 

“You fell asleep at about twelve-thirty. Do that math, Mr. President.” Jaehyun’s warm fingers snuck under the hem of his t-shirt and flattened across his stomach. Taeyong moaned. 

“Taeyong,” said Doyoung, right in front of his face. Taeyong frowned and cracked an eye open. “We have chapter in an hour.” 

Taeyong squinted. Chapter wasn’t until eleven. There was no way it was ten yet. Doyoung beamed at him even though Jaehyun’s hand slid further up his chest inside his shirt and he couldn’t decide whether or not to be pissed or turned on. 

“You slept for nine and a half hours.” 

Taeyong’s eyes flew all the way open. “Wait, what?” 

Doyoung flinched back and pushed a water bottle and some ginger flavored gum into his face. “Yup, nine and a half hours, and you need to shower before chapter so get the fuck up.” 

Taeyong grabbed Jaehyun’s wrist out from under his shirt and dragged it above the blankets so he could read his watch. He noticed that it was a very nice watch with an elegantly masculine silver band, and it definitely said that it was around ten oh four. In the morning, if all the daylight was anything to go by. 

“No way.” 

“Yes way. We have a witness.” Doyoung nodded at Jaehyun behind him. 

“I’ve been here the whole time,” Jaehyun purred.

Taeyong sat up and unscrewed the water bottle, trying to assess how he felt. His arm was a little shaky as he lifted the bottle, but not quite trembling. He didn’t feel nauseous, though he probably would once he was awake for a bit, but for now is stomach didn’t protest at all as he downed the entire thing in one long, satisfying chug. His eyes didn’t ache. He didn’t feel overwhelmingly exhausted, like getting out of bed was a herculean task that made him want to give up college and go home. Taeyong wondered if getting up had been this easy when he was a kid and he’d just taken it for granted.

“Why are you shirtless?” Doyoung sneered. 

Taeyong looked down at his own chest so fast spilled water down his chin, but he was wearing a shirt, which meant—

“I got really hot,” Jaehyun whined. Taeyong looked over at him. After Taeyong sat up, Jaehyun had turned onto his back with the blankets pulled down to his waist, exposing a broad expanse of pale, sculpted chest including soft pink nipples and a fuzzy layer of thin chest hair. Plus those gorgeous arms that drunk Taeyong had been feeling up. 

“Huh,” Doyoung grumbled with narrowed eyes. “Did you at least keep your pants on?”

The sleepy flush on Jaehyun’s cheeks got deeper. “I mean I’m not naked.” 

Taeyong recalled vaguely that they hadn’t gone to sleep with pants on. Last he remembered, they were cuddling on the bathroom floor, both in t-shirts and boxer shorts, and Jaehyun had patiently rubbed his back and held him while he was sick. So Taeyong had been cuddling a handsome, mostly nude man all night. Nice. 

Doyoung looked between both of them, disgusted. “Can’t believe this kind of depravity is going on in my room while I’m sleeping.” 

“Ha,” said Jaehyun. 

The door popped open and Johnny came in with a big steaming mug of coffee, and then froze and blinked at the three of them. 

“Is Jaehyun naked? Did you guys fuck?” 

“Better,” Jaehyun said with a big grin as Taeyong stuttered, “Taeyong slept.” 

Johnny’s mouth dropped open. “Wait really??” 

“Almost ten hours.” 

Johnny gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth. He held the coffee away from his body and stomped his feet on the ground. 

“Such a fuss,” Taeyong grumbled and looked down at his water bottle. His eyes might have flickered back to Jaehyun’s chest to examine the way a thin silver chain around his neck draped over his bare collar bones. 

“Guess you won’t need this then,” said Johnny, and looked down into his coffee. Taeyong forgot all about Jaehyun’s necklace. 

“Is that for me?” 

“I mean it was, but I could gi—”

“Is it another fancy pour over one?” He reached for it. 

Johnny grinned widely. “It is. I think I’m getting the hang of it.” 

“Gimmegimmegimme.” 

Johnny’s grin got even wider as he pressed it into Taeyong’s palm. “Careful, it’s hot.” 

“Thanks, John,” Taeyong made sure to take an extra deep sniff and beam extra hard because Johnny looked oh so pleased with himself. Jaehyun chuckled at them and gave Taeyong’s thigh a gentle rub. Over on the other side of the room, Doyoung made retching noises.

“You three are disgusting!” He shouted. “Get out, Taeyong has to get ready for chapter! He smells!” 

Taeyong groaned and tore his eyes away from Johnny’s lovely eye smile. “Fuck, I was going to plan this morning and now I don’t have anything ready. I don’t remember the last time I missed that many hours of one day.” A single hand through his hair told him just how bad he needed a shower. “Guess I’ll wing it.” 

“Does that mean chapter will be really short?” Jaehyun asked, grinning. 

“That depends on our vice president, head of recruitment.” 

All heads turned to Johnny, who was still smiling, but his eyes started shifting back and forth. “Hate to break it to you guys, but this is the last chapter before we start informal rush. I have a whole PowerPoint…” 

Doyoung wailed.

“It’s like twenty-five slides long.” 

Jaehyun curled up on his side, facing the wall. 

“They’re short slides?” 

Taeyong took a very deep gulp of coffee and scalded his tongue. “Welp.” He yanked the blankets off Jaehyun so everyone could see his flamingo print boxers and slid out of bed. “Let’s get to it.” 

Taeyong didn’t want to shout his oven maintenance explanation over the sound of Donghyuck’s cackling, so he paused and waited for it to die down, but it only got louder and closer until Donghyuck burst into the kitchen with tears in his eyes and a stack of paper in his hands. 

“Bro you good?” said Jaehyun, who was curled up on the kitchen floor in front of the oven with Taeyong, tapping his fingers quickly against a bottle of oven cleaner. 

Donghyuck wheezed and hooted against the doorframe. “Yong!” He shrieked, and waved the papers, then doubled over, guffawing. He took a few deep gasps and wiped some tears away. “Look what Johnny gave me!” He thrust forward the stack of papers into Taeyong’s face and collapsed on the floor snickering as soon as Taeyong took them. The header of the first paper read ‘Expenditure Proposal: String Lights,’ with a sub header that said Johnny Suh. 

“This is why I didn’t want to go to Donghyuck,” came Johnny’s voice from the doorway. 

Jaehyun shrugged. “I just said we should test the waters.” 

Taeyong skimmed the proposal, which detailed how they would improve the living space ambiance and how they could be bought very cheap, and even included a screen cap of an amazon listing. Taeyong heaved a sigh and dug a pen out of his back pocket so he could write “vetoed” at the top of the page. 

“Aw, what? But they’re so cheap!” 

Donghyuck hooted and dragged himself over to collapse against Taeyong’s back. Taeyong braced himself on the open oven door. The next proposal was for a kitchen cabinet organizational system from The Container Store and Taeyong vetoed that one too. He wrote ‘already ordered’ on the top of a proposal for additional rug shampoo and vetoed a proposal for getting the floors waxed. He paused on vent filters and put that one at the back to return to after he actually checked the vents. 

“They have no idea how money works!” Donghyuck whimpered and snickered fitfully into the back of Taeyong’s shirt. Taeyong vetoed a request for wood chips for the smoker and wrote ‘personal expenditure’ on the sheet. 

“But it’s food for the frat,” Johnny whined. 

“It’s a hobby. Get the guys to all pitch in five bucks if you can’t afford it.” He flipped to the next page and groaned. “Outdoor seating? Guys…” 

“No hear me out.” Donghyuck yelped as Johnny dragged him away from Taeyong’s back and took his spot, and instead of a cute little man leaning on him, it was Johnny’s massive chest pressed against his back and his thick arms, even bigger than Jaehyun’s, wrapped around his waist. Taeyong felt very small very fast but he didn’t hate it. “We have this awesome back yard, right? With a whole patio and a grill and a smoker and it would be an amazing social space for the frat but no one goes out there because there’s nowhere to sit.” 

“Johnny—” 

“It would also be great to have some cornhole or something out there but I didn’t propose that. I just think it would be really good for the frat if we could use that area. They wouldn’t even have to be nice chairs, just folding camping chairs until we have the funds to—” 

“Baby,” Taeyong said firmly, and Johnny finally stopped talking. “I’ve been thinking for years that we need chairs out there, but we just can’t afford it.” 

“Hmph.” He snuggled into Taeyong’s shoulder with a sigh. 

“I’m not against dragging the beer pong room seats out there if you want to chill.” 

“So much work.” 

Taeyong sighed and vetoed a proposal for fresh paint for some distressed doorjambs and an extra-long duster for high places. “I’ll look into the vent filters.” 

“I looked,” Johnny insisted. “they need a change.” 

“I’m going to look too,” Taeyong said firmly. 

Donghyuck gave them one last hiccup snicker and he muttered “Lawn chairs,” before drifting out of the room. 

“How’d you sleep?” 

“Uh…” Taeyong leaned back more heavily into Johnny’s chest. “Not good. I’m still coasting on all the sleep I got on Saturday night.” 

“Jaehyun snuggles didn’t work?” 

“No…” 

“He had to kick me out,” Jaehyun said. “We both got too hot. Maybe it’ll work when it gets cooler.” 

“It’s supposed to get cool this week,” Johnny pulled out his phone and opened up the weather app, and sure enough, it looked like they’d be going from their balmy early October into true sweater weather just in time to freeze out slutty trick-or-treaters. Maybe they’d find out if Taeyong needed cuddles to sleep before nesting was over. 

“Finally,” said Jaehyun. “Wanna help clean this oven?” 

Johnny’s arms tightened around Taeyong’s waist, and he sat up a little straighter. “See now why would you ask me that?” 

“You don’t have to, Taeyong’s already helping.” 

“But now that I’ve seen it…” 

“It’ll be easy and it’ll go really quick with all three of us,” Taeyong promised. “Let’s get these racks out.” 

It was a miracle Taeyong got any work done. On Tuesday it was past midnight by the time he got to the studio after a full afternoon of nesting supervision. He sat and stared at his desk for ten minutes before he managed to shake himself back to the real world and open his computer. A text from Doyoung reminded him to tear open a protein bar and give it a few reluctant bites. The knees of his jeans were still the color of the dust behind the fridge. His hands smelled very strongly of lemon dusting spray and lavender surface cleaner. The physical exhaustion of scrubbing the floors all day so they could put the rugs back was nothing compared to the emotional exhaustion of pushing himself through bone-tired drowsiness, trying to match the energy of a couple well rested, instinct driven alphas. It was a good thing Jaehyun needed to stop and cuddle every hour or so. Without regular snuggly little breaks, Taeyong would never have been able to make it through even one day of Johnny’s frantic fixing, cleaning, barbequing frenzy.

“You know, you don’t have to help them the whole time,” Doyoung had said when Taeyong snuck back into their room for a brief respite so he could sit at his desk and email campus housing about why their vent filters hadn’t been changed in at least five years even though the paperwork said that the university would take care of that every summer. 

“They have no idea what they’re doing,” Taeyong groaned. 

“They have Google.” 

“They’ll be sad if I don’t. That’s the biggest part of the nesting boyfriend gig. They’re supposed to be nesting with a partner, and…” he heaved a deep sigh. “I’m the partner.” 

As if summoned, Jaehyun had barged in and wrapped himself around Taeyong’s shoulders until Johnny came looking for him too with barbeque sauce up to his elbows, three different screw drivers, and all kinds of weird questions about how to disassemble and lubricate stiff windows. 

Now the alphas were in bed, tucked in after a frustration fueled spat when the rugs didn’t fit back in their spaces quite the way Johnny wanted, and Taeyong could finally finish a couple long readings and a budget update for the IFC. Instead, he called his big. 

“Can’t sleep?” Taemin said when he answered, and Taeyong groaned in response. 

“I hope I didn’t wake you up.” 

“You didn’t, I just left practice. The company has a tour coming up so I’ve been really busy.” If Taeyong listened closely, he could hear the sound of the subway in the background, fading with the click of Taemin’s shoes. “I’d wake up for you anyway, if you didn’t need to talk you would have texted.” 

Taeyong rested his head on the desk. “Johnny and Jaehyun are nesting.” 

“At the same time? That’s so funny.”

“They both decided I was the closest thing to an omega they could find and now I have two boyfriends.” 

By the time Taemin stopped laughing, street noises had faded into elevator noises and Taeyong already felt better. 

“I’m just tired,” he whined. Taemin cooed. 

“I bet they’re housekeeping types.” 

“Yup.” 

“As if you don’t already have enough to do.” Taemin clicked his tongue. “That’s a shame.” 

“Jaehyun will prioritize snuggling over housekeeping but Johnny’s a machine. You’re an alpha. How much do I need to indulge them?” 

“Hmm…” There was a click that must have been Taemin’s door opening. “I don’t know, I nest more like Yuta. He’s really sex focused.” 

“Oh yeah, he nested like a month ago.” 

“That’s right, you’re pretty much all in the house this year, aren’t you?” 

“Mm.” 

Taemin groaned and there was a rustle of fabric as he flopped onto a couch or something. “The thing about nesting without a partner is that as much as you clean and prepare and do whatever your instincts are telling you to do, it feels really hollow and futile if there isn’t a person you’re doing it with. Does that make sense?” 

“Yeah, that tracks.” 

“I would love to tell you that you should ask them sweetly to fuck off, but I know you’d feel so bad when Johnny had a mental breakdown over, like, dusting the ceiling fans.” 

“You’re right, I would. Today we had a near meltdown but Johnny calmed down so fast when I hugged him. It was almost weird. One second he was ready to suplex Jaehyun over the coffee table and the next he was a giant teddy bear.” 

“Aww. Yeah, nesting sucks. Still, if you’ve had enough, you can step away. They’ll live.” 

“No, it’s fine. None of the guys usually let me take care of them so much. It’s kind of nice for me too. Housekeeping isn’t the most fun of course, but it feels good to have something to do with a couple of my SigMu brothers, you know? I became president so I could look after everyone better, and that’s what I get to do now.” 

Taemin laughed softly over the line. “This does seem like your kind of thing, mama bear.” 

“My heads in the game, I just wish my body was up to it.” 

“O-oh! Pfft.” Taemin’s goofiest snicker echoed through the line. 

“What? What did I say?”

“Oh sorry, you meant, like…” He dissolved into giggles again. 

“What?” 

“You meant your body being up to all the cleaning with, like, sleeping and stuff.” 

Taeyong had a bad feeling he knew where this was going. “Yes, that’s what I meant.” 

“I thought you meant like…” more giggles, “like when you say something about your body being ready for nesting alphas.” 

Taeyong’s cheeks burned. “Jeez, big.” 

“But that too. Their knots are really going to hurt if you don’t get some practice in before rut.” 

“Dude, whoa.” He dragged a hand down his face. “Why are you so sure I’m going to let them knot me? I’m just helping them with nesting, not their fucking ruts, what the fuck, dude?” 

“What really?” Taemin giggled. “I mean I guess that makes sense but… no you’re right, they’d never ask you to do that…” 

“But what?” 

Taemin groaned and giggled again. “I’m not drunk enough for this conversation.” 

“Too fucking bad, we’re having it.” 

“Listen, Taeyong.” He bust into a long peel of giggles again. 

“How enlightening,” Taeyong grumbled, which only made Taemin giggle some more. Taeyong tapped his pen against the desk and watched the wall clock for a full thirty seconds. “Are you done yet?” 

“Yeah, sorry, sorry. Listen. You’re not type so this is weird to explain to you, that’s all.” He cleared his throat and got himself mostly collected. “Whoever you nest with… like, usually there’s an implication that they’re going to be with you for the rut too.” 

“I… know that…” 

“Obviously you don’t have to do that, that’s a lot. Don’t worry about it.” 

Taeyong heaved a sigh. “Are they going to be sad? If I don’t?” 

“Wait, are you considering it??” Taemin bust into a new peel of snickers. 

“Just a minute ago you were surprised that I wasn’t.” 

“Right but then I thought about it and its ridiculous. There’s no reason for you to take it up the ass, much less take two guys fucking knots, just to give them a hand. That’s too much. Like, they’re ruts will be miserable, sure, but it’s only three days and then they’ll be done.” 

“Hm.” Taeyong’s toes curled in his shoes and tried to think of a reason not to. 

“I mean, you should go slow when you take it up the ass the first time anyway. You don’t start with a knot.” 

“Right…” 

“You’ll just hurt yourself.” 

“Uh-huh.” His fingernails bit into his thigh as he remembered the way those first fingers had felt, and then how Yuta’s knot had filled him up so good not even half an hour after.

“Just… I can’t believe I’m saying this.” Taemin’s voice shook him out of it. “You should be getting this advice from an omega anyway, but… don’t feel pressured to help them out with their ruts, I don’t care how much they beg, it’s not worth anal stitches or whatever you’d need after that.” 

“Ugh, oh my god.” Taeyong winced hard. 

“If you really want to try, start sticking stuff up your butt now so you’ll be ready.” 

“Fucking Christ. No one’s even kissed anybody at this point. We’re getting way ahead of ourselves.” 

“Yet,” Taemin repeated with a snort. 

“For the record, I really doubt Johnny would ever fuck me.” 

“I agree. He’s never even hooked up with a beta.” Taemin snickered to himself over something like usual as Taeyong hummed. “What about Jaehyun?” 

“Oh he definitely would. He’s gagging for it.” 

Taemin let out an undignified whoop of laughter. “Grooooooss!!” 

“Okay I’m done talking about my weird sex life. How’s city life?” 

Apparently, city life was a lot more interesting than small town campus life. Taemin talked about the whacky clubs he visited, and the dance solo auditions he aced, and the cute omega in his company who always wanted to go to lunch. He didn’t talk long (waking up at seven, more rehearsals) but after he’d hung up, Taeyong pulled out his readings again and found that he could actually focus on them now. With any luck, he’d be done by the time the sun rose, and then maybe he could try and get some sleep before another full day of classes in between frantic floor scrubbing. 

When Teayong’s eyes wouldn’t stay closed, he watched the wall slowly turn a pale, pre-sunrise blue to white to yellow and thought about all the work he could have been doing while he was lying awake and dreading how bad the next day was going to suck. His eyes ached with exhaustion already. Doyoung’s quiet alarm chased away a shred of haziness that could have been sleep, and so did the slam of Yuta’s door across the hall, and the deafening rev of that noisy farm-ready diesel pick-up monstrosity that one of the Pi Kap meatheads always drove to his eight AM. 

By around eight-thirty, the last of the yellow had faded from the wall. Taeyong sat up and reached for the pill bottle in his desk drawer. His whole body ached and his head spun a little. His stomach turned. His eye felt like lead balls in his skull. The pill looked up at him from between his fingers, bright and a little blurry, taunting.

“Fuck you,” he muttered, and brought it up to his mouth like he was going to eat it, but his stomach rolled, and his chest clenched. He lowered it back down to his lap with a sigh. It took him a long time to try again. By then, the orange had stained Taeyong’s fingertips and the heaviness in his head had collected to a pounding headache. He still sat with it held against his lips, staring down at the scuffed hardwood by the door and the classic detailing in their distressed baseboards until he zoned out enough to pop it in without thinking too hard about it. It was nice to live in a real house build in the forties instead of a utilitarian dorm tragically built in the seventies, he thought, ignoring the bitterness of the pill on his tongue. One of the many perks of greek life. 

With that twenty-minute wrestle and the little orange pill out of the way and the bottle tucked safely back in his desk drawer, Taeyong headed downstairs. He was greeted with a proposal for the purchase of spray paint that was accompanied with no explanation for Taeyong to write VETOED across the top of in very large letters. Johnny evidently hadn’t bothered to ask Donghyuck this time. He and Johnny were already mid-squabble. Taeyong put the pen back on Taeil’s desk and returned to the living room where Johnny stood frowning down at the two boys on the couch. 

“You can’t just bring us random food and then yell at us to wash the dishes when we eat it!” Donghyuck squawked. “Right Mark?” 

Mark shrugged, empty plate in hand. 

Johnny squinted at them in a way that suited him so poorly that he had to be copying his mother. “Are you serious? You’re throwing a fit because I asked you to clean up after yourselves?” 

“Mark and I only eat at the dining hall just so we don’t have to do dishes. You can’t make us food just so we’ll do the dishes for you, that’s entrapment.” 

Mark furrowed his eyebrows very thoughtfully and nodded. 

“I’m not asking you to wash all the dishes, I’m asking you to wash _your_ dishes.” Johnny jabbed a finger. “That one plate and a fork.” 

“I mean if you think about it” said Mark, rubbing his fingers over non-existent stubble, “Since we didn’t make the decision to eat breakfast here and make the dishes dirty, they’re not _our_ dishes. These dishes are all you, man.” 

“I’m just going to leave mine here where I found it,” Donghyuck put his plate on the coffee table. Johnny’s jaw twitched, spine going straight as a board. 

“Take that into the kitchen,” he growled, all deep and threatening and very alpha, “and wash it.” 

Mark slid forward to the edge of the couch, feet on the floor, dishes in hand, but Donghyuck just sat back and shook his head. “You know you never fucking care about this shit, right? It’s your stupid hormones. Chill out.” 

“This isn’t about my stupid hormones!” Johnny shouted. “This is about you guys being responsible enough to be good housemates and clean up after yourselves! And when somebody makes you food, you should be happy to help clean up without even being asked.” 

“I’m not listening, you’re not my real dad!” Donghyuck stood up and stomped around the couch so he could run for his room and stopped short when he saw Taeyong standing behind the couch with the vetoed proposal dangling from his fingers. 

Unfortunately for Donghyuck, Taeyong was a lot better at channeling his mother than Johnny was. He crossed his arms and frowned at them. “Wash your dishes.” 

Mark wordlessly ducked his head and carried his plate to the kitchen. Donghyuck on the other hand had the audacity to look shocked. 

“They’re Johnny’s dishes!” 

“Donghyuck, right now you have two housemates who are going to impulsively make you food and clean up every dish you leave behind, and it’s going to stress them out enough without you taking advantage of them. Wash your fucking dishes.” 

Donghyuck executed the brattiest eye roll Taeyong had ever had the misfortune of seeing inside the SigMu house and dramatically stomped to the kitchen with his plate. Johnny flopped down on the couch and rubbed his hands over his face. “Thanks, honey,” he groaned. 

“Yeah, anytime.” Taeyong came around the front of the couch to return the vetoed proposal, but dropped it when Johnny grabbed him and pulled him down. Taeyong let out one alarmed grunt before he toppled onto Johnny’s warm chest in an undignified heap.

“Jaehyun’s been hogging you,” Johnny said. “I need snuggles too.” 

Taeyong scrambled to get his legs up on the couch in a position that was comfy and also didn’t endanger anybody’s genitals. “Weren’t you cleaning the grill today?” 

“I’ll do that later,” Johnny said quickly. He shuffled Taeyong over to tuck against his side and squeezed him tight. “Plus I have a rack of ribs I really want to put on…” 

“Is all the nesting stressing you out?” Taeyong wasn’t exactly sure what to do with his hands. One was trapped between them, so that was no problem. He tried lying the other arm across Johnny’s chest with the hand dangling onto the couch on the opposite side. Very neutral.

“The to do list is so long.” Johnny grabbed Taeyong’s neutral hand and held it against his chest. He slid their fingers together. “Oh fuck, I was going to make you coffee.” 

“It’s okay, coffee’s too rich for me this morning.” Taeyong was used to the cuddles from Jaehyun by now, but Johnny cuddles were rare. Taeyong still wasn’t sure how to move with him, but it seemed like Johnny was just as comfy with intimate snuggles as Jaehyun. His other hand wrapped around Taeyong’s shoulders and carded gently through his hair. “I’m worried I’m going to permanently damage my relationship with my sons.” 

“They’re just giving you a hard time.” 

Johnny sighed, and his chest expanded and fell under Taeyong’s cheek. “I shouldn’t bother them so much, but I can’t help it.” 

Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs, and then Jaehyun staggered into the living room with rosy cheeks and the closest thing to a scowl Jaehyun’s sweet face was capable of. He wandered up to the couch. “Johnny, can I borrow the boyfriend? I need him.” 

“Nooo, I just got him.” Johnny clung tighter. “He’s mine.” 

Jaehyun whined. “Johnnyyy.” 

“I need him too.” 

So Jaehyun piled on top. Johnny shouted as Jaehyun’s whole weight dropped on top of him. “Bro you’re so heavy.” 

Jaehyun burrowed under Taeyong’s arm so he could nuzzle up against his chest with his arm wrapped around Taeyong’s waist. Johnny wheezed. Taeyong closed his eyes and went limp while they wiggled and squabbled. When the dust settled, Taeyong was lying flat on Johnny’s broad chest. His right side was lined up against Jaehyun’s front, who was half on top of Johnny and half squished into the crack of the couch where Taeyong had been. They absolutely did not fit. Jaehyun’s arm settled heavily across Taeyong’s back and he tucked his forehead into his shoulder. Both of them were so warm. Taeyong felt like he was sinking into a cloud of heat and rich, spicy alpha smell. 

“Aw, this is cute.” Johnny’s hand returned to Taeyong’s hair. Or at least Taeyong was pretty sure that was Johnny’s hand. He closed his eyes and let exhaustion fill his head. 

“Shh, he closed his eyes,” Jaehyun whispered. 

Johnny’s hand went still in his hair and moved down to rest on his back instead. Both boys stayed quiet. Johnny’s heart beat steadily under Taeyong’s ear. Jaehyun’s breath puffed hot against his arm. Donghyuck and Mark wandered upstairs, chatting and laughing. Cars drove by on the road. The coffee machine burbled. Taeil wandered by and muttered ‘wow’ under his breath. The clock ticked. Jaehyun began snoring very softly, like a kitten. Mark and Donghyuck wandered back downstairs, this time with Jungwoo, all laughing loudly until Johnny’s shushed them, also at top volume. Jungwoo shout-whispered “sorry!” and the front door rattled and groaned until they left. Pi Kap’s noisy diesel monstrosity rumbled into the back parking lot and idled for an unreasonable amount of time. 

Somebody knocked on the front door. Nobody moved. They knocked again. Taeyong heaved a sigh and pushed himself up. 

“Nooo,” Johnny whined and pulled him back down, gently, but Taeyong’s elbows still gave out and he scrambled for balance. Jaehyun grunted and burrowed into Johnny’s chest. 

“I wasn’t getting any closer to sleeping, let me answer the door.” He dragged himself out from underneath Jaehyun’s arm and left them cuddling on the couch. They looked cute like that, Taeyong hoped they stayed that way, but as soon as Taeyong stood, Johnny frowned down at his roommate lying on his chest and started poking his shoulder. 

“Get off me,” he grumbled. 

Taeyong did a quick check to make sure everybody was decent. He was dressed for class. Johnny had on black sweats with a gray t-shirt and Jaehyun had on gray sweats with a black t-shirt. They looked presentable, despite the way they were shoving and whacking at each other on the couch like a couple of fussy children. Taeyong answered the door. 

There was a lone omega on the porch, all by herself, which seemed odd. She was very pretty. Her sweet, rich scent like roses and wine wafted off her along with some kind of fancy perfume. She shuffled her feet in adorable pink heels and brushed a strand of soft dark hair behind her ear, a flush on her cheeks. “H-hi,” she said, and fidgeted with the hem of a fluffy white sweater. 

Taeyong remembered that he could look intimidating at first and put on his warmest smile that he hoped wasn’t offset too much by the bags under his eyes. “Hey, what’s up?” 

She smiled back and relaxed a little. “Um… I’m Momo,” she stuck out a hand and gave Taeyong the daintiest of handshakes. 

“Taeyong, nice to meet you.” 

“You too. So… I’m dating a SigMu alumni and the other day he was saying how he wished he’d taken pictures of the house when he lived here because now he doesn’t have any to look back on. So I was wondering if it would be okay if I took some pictures for him?” She blushed a lot more and her voice shook. 

“Aw, that’s so sweet. I’ll give you a tour, come in.” He hoped the alphas were still making idiots of themselves. 

They absolutely were. There was a tangle of fluffy hair, muscular arms, and sweatpants behind the coffee table, mid-tussle. Johnny seemed to be winning, going by the fact that he was on top and Jaehyun’s noises were a little more distressed. 

“Gentlemen, we have a guest.” 

Two handsome faces swiveled to the door and got a lot more wide-eyed when they realized an omega had entered the building. Jaehyun stood up so fast he knocked Johnny onto his back with a loud whump and a groan. 

Momo took a delicate little sniff and then put a sweater paw over her mouth and blinked a few times. “Wow, you have a lot of alphas.” 

“We do. We have five in the frat. Four of them live here.” 

“Do they fight a lot?” She eyed where Johnny and Jaehyun had failed to resist temptation and were kicking each other. 

“No, actually they get along really well. To our right, we have the beer pong room. Your boyfriend will definitely want a picture of this one.” She tore her eyes away from the alphas and examined the frat version of the formal dining room that was the beer pong room. 

“Functional space,” she giggled as she aimed her phone camera at the carved up, beer stained table and matching benches. “very nice.” 

“What’s your boyfriend’s name?” 

“Heechul,” she said. 

“Oh,” Taeyong looked straight up at where HEECHUL IS YOUR GOD was painted in massive red letters across the entire length of the ceiling. 

“Yup, that’ll be him.” Momo snapped a picture of that too, and then turned back to the living room. “Wow, this place is so clean.” 

“These two have been nesting for almost a week now.” 

Johnny and Jaehyun appeared to have put their differences aside in order to straighten the couch cushions. 

“That explains it,” she giggled. “I synced up with another omega at the house last year and the place was so clean. And then we didn’t clean it for a month.” 

Jaehyun abandoned the cushions and wandered over. “Don’t give us too much credit, this place is usually pretty clean.” He put an arm around Taeyong’s shoulders. “Having Taeyong here is like having somebody nesting all the time.” 

“I clean to destress,” Taeyong explained. “Anyway, this is the living room where we get drunk, do homework, and play video games, sometimes all at once.” 

“Cool,” she chirped, and snapped a photo which included Johnny frowning down at the couch with his lower lip sucked into his mouth. When she was done, she lowered her phone and wrapped her hands around Taeyong’s elbow. 

“Over here is the kitchen.” He escorted her, and Jaehyun, who still had an arm around his shoulders, over to the next room: their sparkling kitchen where an R2D2 cookie jar proudly surveyed the squeaky clean floor from the top of a cabinet where Taeil couldn’t reach. Donghyuck and Mark’s dishes were tossed haphazardly in the drying rack. Jaehyun sighed and let go of Taeyong’s shoulders so he could go reorganize them. 

“I’m not sure Heechul was ever in here, but I’ll send him a picture anyway.” She got a couple good shots without letting go of Taeyong’s arm. “When the omegas nest in our house, no one else is allowed in the kitchen.” 

Jaehyun laughed and nodded. “It would be nice if the rest of the brothers weren’t allowed in here right now, but betas aren’t as nice to us alphas as they are to you guys. We’d have to do so many dishes.”

“I think the other alphas would be meaner than the betas.” Johnny’s hand landed on the back of Taeyong’s neck as he slid around his to stand in front of them. “Hi, I’m Johnny,” he said with one of his big friendly grins.

“Hi!” She shuffled behind Taeyong’s shoulder a little more. Her sweet scent filled Taeyong’s nose, which wasn’t good for his nausea. He’d always preferred the way alphas smelled.

“Johnny, this is Momo. She’s taking pictures of the house for her boyfriend. He’s an alumni.” 

“Oh? What’s his name?” 

Jaehyun strolled up beside Johnny and they became a wall of tall handsome alpha that filled the kitchen doorway. Momo pressed up against Taeyong’s back and clutched his arm. 

“Heechul, he graduated… like twelve years ago?” 

Johnny’s eyebrows shot up. Taeyong felt his do the same thing. Jaehyun smiled placidly and nodded. “We probably don’t know him then. How’d you meet him?” 

“I work in the alumni relations office,” she said, and inched out a little way from behind Taeyong’s shoulder. “He came back for homecoming last year and I was running tours. When he was here, he fought to change several type person related rules on campus, and he wanted to know how those changes were holding up, so we talked a lot.” 

“Oh!” Jaehyun squinted at the ceiling. “Twelve years ago… Kim Heechul? He got the omega curfew removed, right? And the mandatory omega dorm?” 

She nodded and grinned. “That was him!” 

“Was he the one who got the rule that male omegas had to be on suppressants to be enrolled removed?” 

Taeyong’s gut clenched. “That was a rule?” 

“It was,” said Momo. “It got removed two years ago but that was state-wide. Heechul didn’t bother with that one while he was here.” 

Jaehyun frowned. “Why not?” 

She shrugged. “He said it wasn’t a priority when tons of grown women were getting cloistered away after ten pm like nuns.” 

That didn’t seem to satisfy Jaehyun, but Johnny shrugged. “There probably weren’t any male omegas on campus anyway. We’re a small school.” 

She nodded and slid back behind Taeyong’s shoulder. It felt like her hand might have been trembling, but it was hard to say when he was also shaking. He spoke up in her defense just in case. “It’s not like anybody would have taken advantage if he had gotten the rule changed. Nobody has yet, right?” 

“That’s some bullshit though,” Jaehyun grumbled. “We’ve known for a lot longer than two years that they’re deadly. Nobody should be required to take harmful substances to be here. It’s another thing if nobody wants to take advantage, but to require it?” 

“I mean yeah,” Momo said softly. Taeyong was beginning to think her voice shook whether she was nervous or not. “But Heechul was more worried about the rules that would actually effect people, because he knew male omegas wouldn’t go off their suppressants even if they were allowed to.” 

“Male omegas who would probably wouldn’t be at college anyway,” Johnny muttered. 

Jaehyun frowned and tugged on his ear lobe. “I guess if you had to pick which rule to change…” 

“If there were male omegas who wanted to go off their suppressants, I’m sure Heechul would have thought more about it.” 

Jaehyun pursed his lips like he wanted to say something but didn’t want to fight. Momo was a guest. Johnny was already subtly kicking Jaehyun in the ankle to get him to chill.

“It’s nice that the rule is gone now,” Taeyong said before Jaehyun could open his mouth. “Do you know which room was Heechul’s?” 

She shook her head. 

“Let’s look in as many as we can then.” 

Taeil’s room was a disaster so Taeyong definitely let her take a picture of it. The alphas hung around and made comments. Johnny kept crossing his arms to make his triceps stand out. Mark and Donghyuck’s room was locked, weirdly enough. They took a picture of the back porch and headed upstairs. On the way up, Momo stayed latched onto Taeyong’s arm as she navigated the steep steps in her heels, and he got a white-knuckle grip on the banister and forced his aching, wobbly legs to move as fast as hers. At the top of the stairs, she took his hand and examined how badly his fingers were trembling. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Too much caffeine,” he said, trying not to sound like he was short of breath after one flight of stairs. “This is Jungwoo’s room.” 

“Brewed it a little strong this morning?” Jaehyun grumbled accusingly at Johnny behind them. 

“He didn’t have any,” Johnny muttered back. Momo was too busy cooing about Jungwoo’s impressive hand-painted letters collection to notice.

“Oh yeah, my roommate Doyoung is really good at crafting.” He squinted at the collection. “Hm.” 

Jaehyun’s hand touched the small of his back. “Yong, didn’t you paint those?” 

“I actually painted… like half of these. For Doyoung. But I painted a lot, it makes sense that he passed them down.” Not that he wouldn’t guilt Doyoung later for regifting his frat crafts. 

“Those are pretty,” Momo said and took a picture of them. “Your little must have so much good stuff.” 

“Yong’s little would get good shit if he actually took a little,” said Johnny.

“Maybe in the spring,” said Taeyong, even though he was never taking a little, but Momo didn’t need to be subjected to that ongoing argument. “Next we have Johnny and Jaehyun’s room actually.” 

“Oh?” She squeezed closer to Taeyong’s side and looked back at the alphas. “You two share a room?”

“Yup!” Johnny threw an arm over Jaehyun’s shoulders. “That’s why we’re nesting at the same time. It only works because he’s my little and I can boss him around.”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes and his ears turned pink, but Momo giggled. 

“Wow, I’ve never seen an alpha with a roommate, much less an alpha roommate. I didn’t think that was possible.” 

“Johnny doesn’t actually boss Jaehyun around. They just get along really well.” 

“That’s so sweet.” She was standing so close to Taeyong, he didn’t miss the way her smell intensified slightly as Johnny nuzzled against Jaehyun’s head, and the way Jaehyun’s eyelashes fluttered, it looked like he hadn’t missed it either. “Are you each other’s nesting buddies?” 

“No, no!” 

“Ew, no way.” Johnny and Jaehyun stumbled apart and gave each other disgusted glares. She giggled again. 

“How are you guys doing rut?” 

“Um…” Jaehyun looked expectantly at Johnny, who shuffled his feet. 

“We’re working on that. We might convince Jungwoo to sleep on the couch…” 

“I don’t think he’d agree to that,” Taeyong said, “but he could sleep on my bed and I’ll sleep on the couch.” 

“No, no!” 

“Nope, no way.”

Taeyong snorted. “What? I can sleep in the studio, I do that sometimes.” 

Both alphas looked like they were about to panic. “We can’t kick you out of your bed, you have a hard enough time sleeping as it is.” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes. “Anyway.” He pushed the door open. Like the rest of the house, it was so clean it could have been a display room. The two alphas had gotten the biggest room in the house. Johnny and Jaehyun’s beds sat against opposite walls, made up exactly the same way. There was a nice thrift store rug on the floor and a couple of beanbag chairs. Johnny’s TV sat on a bookshelf between their windows. A couple posters and tapestries, generic enough that they had clearly all been purchased at the freshman year poster sale, decorated the walls. It would have been depressingly basic for a couple of college guys, but with the hardwood floors, crown molding, and pastel salmon walls of the old house, it had a kind of boyish charm, especially with all the surfaces clear, floor swept, and laundry folded. “I swear they do actually live here, we didn’t just accidentally step into an Ikea.” 

“O-oh I can tell they live here,” she said, voice a little breathy. Taeyong realized that the alpha smell coming out of the room was pretty intense, and if he thought so, he could only imagine what it was like for an omega. She snapped a photo. Taeyong closed the door. 

“Bathrooms? Will he want pictures of those?” 

“Definitely.” She got a picture of the lovely new whale shower curtains, the first stall that drunk people threw up in, and the second stall where everyone went to shit and play Candy Crush for an hour. 

“Just two rooms left,” Taeyong said. He escorted Momo down the hallway. The steady hum of loud music that had been a whisper by the bathrooms gradually grew until they stopped in front of Yuta’s door. 

“What is this noise?” Jaehyun grumbled. 

“I think it’s Rage Against the Machine,” said Johnny. 

Taeyong glared at him. “It’s Slipknot.” 

“Oh shit, you’re right.” 

“Ugh,” said Jaehyun. “…” said Momo. Taeyong ignored them and knocked. 

“Come in!” Yuta yelled over some screaming. Taeyong realized he hadn’t been in Yuta’s room since his rut and the subsequent laundry project. He turned the knob and opened the door. 

Yuta’s room looked very different that he remembered. It wasn’t covered in blankets and it was a lot better decorated. Yuta had started nesting only about a week into the semester, so his room hadn’t been set up yet. Now he had band posters all over the walls and dirty laundry all over the floor. Yuta was the only college kid Taeyong had ever met who lofted his bed as low as he could get it, almost to the floor. He was sprawled out across it on his back like a big cat with his head dangling over the edge, wearing a pair of form fitting track pants and that was it. A selection of black or white t-shirts sat beside him in a heap, but he hadn’t picked one. His broad, lean chest was bare, tapering to his svelte waist and punctuated by a glimmer of silver at his navel and his nipples. His waistband rode so low that Taeyong was fairly sure he wasn’t wearing underwear.

“Giving a tour,” Taeyong said, and Yuta’s eyes slid up to them. He sniffed, caught Momo’s scent, and smiled. 

“I said come in.” 

Taeyong did not lead Momo inside. He craned his neck to look at where she was tucked almost all the way behind his shoulder. “This is Yuta’s room.” 

Momo popped up on her toes to scan the room. Her eyes widened at the bricked up fireplace behind Yuta’s bed. Yuta had pinned sheets to the mantle with several heavy soccer trophies for the fuck tent back in the day. 

“I may have seen this room in pictures actually. I think it was his.” She pressed gently against Taeyong’s back. He led her forward. The metal music quieted down a few clicks but didn’t pause. 

“Her boyfriend is an alum but he never took pictures of the house, are you good with us taking pictures?”

Yuta was still smirking. He let his arms flop wide and pushed a hand through his long hair. “Sure,” he purred. 

“Please put a shirt on,” Taeyong grumbled. 

“I can’t. I have no clean shirts. Can I borrow one of yours?” 

“Uh, okay, gimme a minute.” He turned around to the alphas, who were still hanging out in the hallway arguing about good music. “Are you two coming in?” 

“We’re not allowed in there,” Jaehyun said. “Yuta’s very territorial.” 

“Oh.”

Momo snapped her pictures in a hurry. “K!” 

Taeyong threw one last wistful glance at Yuta’s nipple piercings. He fondly remembered how Yuta mewled and writhed when Taeyong played with them. 

“Hey Yong,” Yuta drawled as Taeyong started to pull the door closed. “I was kidding about the shirt.” 

“Okay.” Taeyong closed the door. “Sorry, he gets like that sometimes. One more room.” He pushed open his door across the hall and double checked to make sure there wasn’t a little orange bottle on the desk, but it was hidden in his drawer like usual. 

Momo leaned around Taeyong and examined the room. After a second, she nodded. “This one’s as clean as the alphas.’” 

“Thanks, it’s mine.” Taeyong was proud of his and Doyoung’s room. It was small for a double, but neither of them had that much stuff. The walls and ceilings were a comforting light beige, which complimented their simple color scheme of cool tones, mostly blues and greys. The ceiling slanted over Taeyong’s bed, and they each had their own window over their desks. Unfortunately Taeyong’s bed wasn’t made, which meant the room was messy, but Momo didn’t need to know that. He stared longingly at his pillow as she snapped her pictures. 

“Okay, I’m done.” She slipped her phone back into her pocket. 

Heels must have been more difficult going downstairs than up, because Momo got a good grip on his shoulder and held on. Taeyong clutched the banister just as hard and tried not to think about how every step felt like a risk. 

At the front door, Momo finally detached herself from Taeyong’s arm. As soon as she let go, Jaehyun wrapped around Taeyong’s waist from behind and sighed as he pulled him close.

“Thank you guys so much!” Momo blinked curiously at the way Jaehyun snuggled up to him. Her eyes narrowed. “Are you his nesting buddy?” 

“Um. Yeah… Both of theirs actually.” 

Jaehyun hummed as he nuzzled into Taeyong’s hair. She nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. You seem like you’d make a good omega if you were a girl.” 

The twitch in Taeyong’s eyebrows would have been a full wince if he hadn’t caught it in time. Momo tilted her head to the side and blinked at him. “Thanks,” he muttered, stomach twisting. Over her shoulder, Johnny frowned. 

“Guess I’ll see you guys around!” 

“Come by anytime,” Taeyong said. They waved her out the door. 

“What the hell was that comment?” Johnny asked as soon as she hit the sidewalk. 

“A couple omegas I know like to tell men they’d be good omegas,” said Jaehyun. “When I asked them about it, they just said it should be a compliment.” 

“I mean there’s nothing wrong with being an omega, but it’s still a weird thing to say to a guy.” 

Taeyong sensed a well meaning lecture coming on, which Johnny could probably benefit from but Taeyong already knew, and he could already feel the energy leaking out of him like light beer from a busted solo cup just thinking of Jaehyun trying to explain complex intersectional gender/type theory to Johnny while Johnny explained that dudes still felt like shit when they got told they were submissive, feminine, and needy. 

“I gotta get to class, you guys.” 

“Oh.” Jaehyun whined and tucked his face into Taeyong’s neck, and Johnny looked adorably bummed, but he nodded. “We have more rugs to scrub anyway. I was going to try some of that comet stuff on the back-porch grime.” 

“Don’t, you’ll kill the plants.” 

“Oh.” 

Taeyong tried to decide if attempting another nap would be worth skipping class, but he liked his grades how they were. In any case, it would be impossible to get any napping done in the house until both needy alphas went to their afternoon classes. “Johnny on second thought, I might need a coffee to go.” 

Johnny’s smile was too soft. “Coming right up, babe.” He kissed Taeyong on the forehead and ambled off towards the kitchen. 

It was one of those days where Taeyong walked to class with his eyes closed part of the time because it hurt to keep them open. Even Johnny’s coffee and an elaborate doodle of an eagle drinking Natty Light on a rainbow could barely keep him awake in class. His only opportunity for a nap was spoiled by a terrible bout of coffee and protein bar induced indigestion and a close call with an alpha meltdown when Johnny’s rug drying schedule was ruined by a light rain. By the time he had the damp rugs spinning at a nauseating speed in the dryer, it was time to head to class again. Taeyong dragged himself blearily through the day until a full day of classes, a club meeting, an inter-frat drama mediation, a conference call with regional SigMu leadership, a tutoring session with Lucas, and a night class were over, and Taeyong found himself in his chair in the studio with no recollection of getting there and eyes that wouldn’t focus on his reading even when he blew the words up two hundred percent. 

The door creaked open and shut. Taeyong hoped it was Doyoung. 

Instead, Jaehyun’s stiflingly rich scent filled the room. Taeyong sighed. 

“Hey,” Jaehyun murmured, so softly, like he was afraid it would hurt Taeyong if he said it any louder. Taeyong reminded himself that he had to answer. He forced his head up and blinked at Jaehyun. He even managed a smile. “Hey,” he breathed back, and it came out like a whisper. 

“What’r you up to?” 

Taeyong’s eyes slipped closed and then popped open again with a deep throb. “Just…” he forced his spine straight and shook his head hard. “Doing some readings for tomorrow. You?” 

“I have some readings that are due for tomorrow too, but I can read them on my phone.” The chair dropped down like last time. Taeyong’s stomach jerked a little from the sudden movement. “I was expecting you for dinner but I guess I should know better by now.” Taeyong got lifted up by the waist and the then dropped back down onto Jaehyun’s lap. His thighs were so warm, and so was his chest. 

“It was one of those days,” Taeyong sighed. 

“I missed you,” Jaehyun said softly, just as Taeyong had started composing some gentle way to tell him he wasn’t up for being a boyfriend at the moment. “Johnny made pork ribs on the smoker for dinner. He was really proud of them, but I thought there was something off in the seasoning. I bet you would have fixed it.” He squeezed Taeyong tighter and Taeyong clenched his teeth and reached for his arm. 

“L-let’s not put any pressure on my stomach right now.” 

“Oh. Sorry.” Jaehyun’s hands moved to his hips instead. Taeyong gave one of them an apologetic squeeze and then tried to get back his reading, but his eyes still wouldn’t focus. Jaehyun leaned against his back. He was very heavy. Taeyong didn’t currently have the core strength to keep them both up, and his arms started shaking the minute he planted them on the table to support them. 

“I can go if you’re busy,” Jaehyun said, voice soft and delicate. He cleared his throat and tried again, a little firmer. “I don’t want to distract you.” 

“No, no Jaehyun it’s okay.” Taeyong struggled to turn around in his lap. Every last shred of frustration leaked right out of him at the sight of his wide brown eyes and the tiny little pout on his handsome lips. “C’mere, big bad alpha.” 

Jaehyun snuggled right into Taeyong’s chest when Taeyong hugged him, all warm breath and strong arms and soft hoody. Taeyong clutched him close and felt his own stress fall away as Jaehyun sighed and melted. He rested a cheek on the top of Jaehyun’s head and closed his eyes. 

Sometime during the night, he felt Jaehyun lift him.

“Mm,” he said, and reached up to wrap an arm around Jaehyun’s neck. 

“I got you, keep sleeping,” Jaehyun whispered, and Taeyong was only too happy to obey. He woke up once more as Jaehyun jostled him a little and breathed too fast and hard. The creak of the SigMu house door and Jaehyun’s boots on the stairs were too loud. He got jostled again at the door to his room, but then his head hit the pillow, and his eyes decided they didn’t need to open after all.   



	5. Thursday

Taeyong’s eyes popped open much later. The room was filled with early dawn half-light, illuminating a very impressive set of pale abs right in front of Taeyong’s face. Jaehyun appeared from behind his shirt. He blinked sleepily as he folded it and tossed it over the back of Taeyong’s chair before he bent over to pull his pants off. Taeyong stared at his bulging shoulders and long eyelashes until Jaehyun finally glanced at him and realized he was awake. His dimples sank deep into his cheeks and his eyes curled into happy little half-moons. 

“’morning,” he breathed. He hopped easily up onto the bed and flopped down behind Taeyong in his boxers. 

“Mm… time izzit?” Taeyong whispered back. His eyes still felt so heavy, like he might be able to sleep again if he tried. 

“Like, six?” 

Warm, rich alpha scent filled the air. Taeyong scooted onto his back so he could look at his mostly naked frat brother snuggled up on his bed. Jaehyun’s arm flopped over his waist. His face was just inches away on the pillow. 

“Did you carry me home last night?” Taeyong whispered as quietly as he could. Doyoung slept like the dead but just in case. Jaehyun nodded, still beaming. His cheeks were so squishy. 

“You don’t weigh very much.” He shifted a little closer so his chest was pressed up against Taeyong’s arm. “It wasn’t hard.” 

“Mm, not for those strong alpha arms.” Taeyong trailed his fingers up Jaehyun’s arm, from his wrist to his shoulder. Jaehyun’s smile got less squishy. It quirked to one side and his eyelashes fluttered over his dark eyes. He propped himself on his elbow so he could lean over Taeyong and pulled him in by the hip. Taeyong saw him glance over at Doyoung’s bed as he hovered closer. His smell was like fresh bread and leather and sex… and—

“Why do you smell like spray paint?” Taeyong said, full voice, completely forgetting to whisper. Doyoung grunted and rolled over and Jaehyun’s smile froze on his face. 

“Uh…” 

Taeyong grabbed Jaehyun’s hand off his hip and squinted at his index finger in the dim light. There was definitely a dark splotch on the tip, and when he yanked it up to his face it smelled very distinctly like spray paint. “Jaehyun, what were you painting at five in the morning?” 

Jaehyun’s ears turned so pink that Taeyong could even tell in the poor lighting. “We’ll, uh, we’ll show you in the morning? Donghyuck signed off on it…” 

“Can I get a name of an object? What did the paint go on?” 

The trapped look on Jaehyun’s face and the amount of time it took for him to answer didn’t help his case. Eventually he said “…chairs?” 

Taeyong rolled out of bed. 

“Yong, come back.” 

Doyoung sighed loudly as Jaehyun whined, but Taeyong was already out the door. The seven hours of sleep he’d gotten make his trip down the stairs unusually quick and easy. Donghyuck’s little witch cackle came from the open back door. 

“Taeyong,” Jaehyun called softly from the top of the stairs, and then thundered down after him like a baby elephant. Taeyong ignored him and headed for the back door. 

On the patio, Donghyuck hopped up and down as he aimed a couple spray paint cans at a snickering Johnny, who ducked and wove behind four Adirondack chairs. They were still shiny with fresh spray paint, SigMu dark gray and lurid yellow-green, and they looked very suspiciously like the chairs the school bought earlier in the year and scattered all over campus during nice weather. 

When Johnny saw him and gasped, Donghyuck lowered his cans and whipped around with equally wide eyes. Jaehyun bust through the back door behind him. “See, I told you we got permission,” he whined. 

Taeyong could see Donghyuck go into survival mode. Panic flashed across his face but then he grinned widely and laughed. “Yeah, the paint all together was only, like, twenty bucks and now we can use the patio.” 

“You stole and vandalized school property.” 

Donghyuck looked back at Johnny and Johnny got very stiff and raised his eyebrows. “Well,” Donghyuck shrugged with both cans of spray paint, “nobody has to know that, right?” 

“Oh my god.” 

The mental math was easy but that didn’t mean Taeyong wanted to do it. He had a feeling the school would absolutely not do the reasonable thing and let them repaint the chairs and put them back. Best case scenario, the frat would have to pay to get them professionally repainted. Worst case, they would have to replace them. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over Taeyong. He leaned on the railing and buried his face in his hands. The world was better when his eyes were closed.

“Taeyong, hey, don’t worry,” Donghyuck stuck his hands through the porch railing and rubbed Taeyong’s ankles. “If this really goes sideways, the three of us will take the fall. We’ll pay for it, right guys?” 

“Yeah, can’t be that bad.” Jaehyun looped an arm around Taeyong’s shoulders. “Even if we have to replace them, that’ll be like, max two-hundred dollars, right?” 

Taeyong snorted. “Yeah, two-hundred per chair. At least.” Nobody had anything to say about that. Taeyong sighed. Jaehyun’s warm weight against his back just barely kept him calm. Barely. “And that’s if they don’t fine us. Guess we didn’t need a formal this semester.” 

Donghyuck huffed. “Nobody’s going to find out, Taeyong. It’s okay. No one’s even going to notice they’re gone.” 

Taeyong took his face out of his hands just in time to see a white campus security patrol car roll through the parking lot behind Greek row. It slowed down as it passed them, and it wasn’t like it was still dark out. Taeyong could see the whites of the officer’s eyes as he squinted at four frat boys standing out back of their house at the innocent hour of six in the morning, surrounded by spray paint cans and university chairs that just happened to be the wrong color. The car picked up speed again, but not before they saw the officer raise his walkie-talkie to his mouth. 

Donghyuck and Johnny watched him drive away with carefully blank looks on their faces. Jaehyun’s hand stayed perfectly still on Taeyong’s back like Taeyong would forget he was there if he didn’t move. Taeyong stared out at the pastel beginnings of a beautiful lavender and peach sunrise, with fluffy clouds rimmed in gold, and felt abruptly sick. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Finally Johnny walked closer and reached through the porch railing to rub his calf. “Babe-“ 

“Donghyuck, your nesting proposal approval privileges are revoked.” 

Donghyuck lowered his head solemnly. “Okay.” 

“After those dry, I want you to take them inside when we’re not using them so they can’t get examined while we’re not here. Make sure there isn’t a single tiny speck on any of them where the university colors show through. And Johnny, if you’re shopping for the party this afternoon, take me along.” 

Johnny swallowed and nodded. Taeyong nodded back. Then he turned and ducked past Jaehyun to go back in the house. There was no going back to sleep now. There wasn’t even a handsome alpha to finally kiss. When Taeyong got back to his room, he locked the door. For a minute he contemplated getting his daily wrestle with the little orange pill jar out of the way, but his anxiety was already at an eleven out of ten and there was no way that he was going to win that fight without Doyoung’s help, so it would have to wait until he woke up. Taeyong dug out last night’s readings instead. 

Besides an extra-large mug of coffee outside his door at seven, a bowl of Cheerios at nine, and the distant sounds of a hammer and a vacuum cleaner, Taeyong didn’t see hide nor hair of the alphas all morning. During a particularly boring global politics lecture, he caught himself daydreaming about the gummy smile on Jaehyun’s face when he woke Taeyong up that morning and the way he’d panted after carrying him all the way across campus the night before, and felt guilty enough to send him a text that said “hugs.” He got an entire row of hearts back, followed by a message that said “sorry that was too much,” followed by “instincts sent that one,” then “probably should have just sent a smiley face,” and another “sorry.” SigMu budget calculations and lurid green Adirondack chairs danced threateningly behind Taeyong’s eyelids, but so did Jaehyun’s sad puppy pout. 

“How do I even respond?” He asked Doyoung as they crawled through an art history PowerPoint together in the library after class. 

Doyoung squinted at the conversation and grimaced. “You really left him on read after that? It’s been an hour.” 

Taeyong glared down at his barely nibbled protein bar. “You saw the chairs, right?” 

Doyoung’s grimace deepened. “Yeah… still... aren’t you supposed to be, like, not mad but disappointed or something?” 

There was a lot to unpack there and Taeyong didn’t have the energy to do that, so he let his lip curl and his eyes go all squinty like they wanted to. Judging by the way Doyoung’s eyes widened, that probably wasn’t an expression he’d ever seen on Taeyong before. 

“Okay fine, you’re not their mom, but like…” He shifted in his seat and wrung his hands together. “I just think you should find some official punitive measure, not punish them with guilt and…” he gestured at the phone, “humiliation? It’s really not like you.” 

The constant whiplash between guilt and fury had Taeyong’s blissful seven hours of sleep feel more like two. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I know, I’m just so fucking mad, Doyoung, I’m so mad I don’t know what to do. Here.” He tossed his phone onto Doyoung’s textbook and made him jump. “Sorry. Just… you answer him. I’m too tired and pissed off to figure out how to respond. I don’t want him to feel bad but I don’t want him to think I’m over it either.” 

“Those things are mutually exclusive,” Doyoung muttered, but he picked up the phone. When he put it down, Taeyong leaned over and saw that he’d sent back “I figured it was hormones, nbd,” and then a second message with just three hearts.

“Is that okay?” 

Taeyong sighed and nodded. “It’s fine. This would be so much easier if I wasn’t their fucking stand in boyfriend right now.” 

At least Johnny didn’t need extra special care. Taeyong headed over to his chat and typed “I swear to fucking god if you two try to pull some kind of cheesy apology surprise I will put you both on probation. Do NOT.” Less than a minute later he got a very guilty selfie from inside the closest grocery store’s shitty floral department. A glum Jaehyun poked at a display of wilting roses in the background. 

Taeyong called him. 

“We didn’t buy any I swear,” Johnny said from the other end. “You caught us just in time. How did you know?” 

“I’d like to say I’m smart but you’re just predictable,” Taeyong snapped and then felt bad when Doyoung’s eyebrows shot up. “Sorry. Listen, you’re fucking over the frat, not me, so unless you’re buying flowers or whatever for everybody, don’t bother.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Johnny grumbled, and Jaehyun’s quiet voice in the background said “is that Taeyong?” Johnny heaved a sad sigh. “But we’re really sorry because we did, like, go behind your back on purpose because we knew you wouldn’t like it.” 

“Hm.” 

“Hold up I’m going to put you on speakerphone.” 

The line crackled a little and Taeyong pursed his lips and waited. 

Jaehyun’s voice came over the line, much louder this time, and very sad. “Taeyong, I’m sorry.”

The ball of ugly emotions in Taeyong’s stomach swung back towards guilt. 

“And,” Johnny continued, “we aren’t living up to SigMu values by stealing stuff from the university, and if we get caught it’ll make the chapter look really bad. And we should have thought more about the consequences—”

“Okay okay.” He pulled his legs up on his seat and hugged his knees. Most of his anger crumbled away, which only left the guilt. “I would like the two of you and Donghyuck to make an apology to the whole chapter at chapter on Sunday, okay? Thank you for apologizing for going behind my back, I think that’s all you need to say to me specifically. Save the rest.” 

“We’ll do that.” There were a couple beats of silence and then Johnny said, “Taeyong I think you better give Jaehyun a hug, he’s in bad shape.” 

A lot of fuzzy noise almost covered up Jaehyun muttering, “shut up, he doesn’t have to.”

“I can give him a hug. Can you two come back to the house now? You and I are going shopping in, like, an hour anyway.”

“We’re on our way.”

The call ended. Taeyong took a deep breath and put the phone down so he could curl around his knees.

“Are you okay?” Doyoung’s gentle fingers brushed through his hair.

“Yeah, just… If we get caught… so much money…” 

“Hey, if we recruit a bunch of new members, we’ll have their dues too, right?” 

“Yeah… if we recruit at least two people, we might actually be able to have formal in, like, a campus ballroom instead of at the house.” The looming weight of the party on Saturday crushed down on Taeyong’s shoulders. “If by some miracle we get four people, that might pay for the chairs if we get caught but we’ll be fresh out of emergency funds. And you know how offended the alumni get if we don’t send cards and flowers to their sick aunts no matter how broke we are. We’ll be lucky if we can still afford toilet paper at the end of the semester.” 

“Wait… we’re having formal on campus?” 

“Yup.” 

“Doesn’t that mean we can’t drink?” 

“…Yup.” 

Doyoung’s fingers stilled in his hair. “How many people do we need to recruit to afford a venue off campus with a bar?” 

“More than we are allowed. We would need, like, eight, but our cap is five, and we’ll be lucky to even get that many.” 

“Then why don’t we cancel the formal and just have a normal party where we dress nice but we can still drink?” 

“Then we can’t get it catered.” He finally lifted his head to stare a very wide-eyed Doyoung dead in the eyes. “Do you know how much all these recruitment events are going to cost? We’re broke, Doie. Broke.” 

“Ugh…” Doyoung gave up on his hair and started packing up his things for him instead. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t think about it for now, just think about the cute date you’re about to go on with your boyfriend.” 

“We going to have to spend more money,” he groaned. Doyoung dragged his foot off the chair before he could curl up again. 

“Just think of it like a returning investment. The more money you spend on the party, the more pledges we’ll have to squeeze money out of.” 

“What if nobody wants a bid?” 

Doyoung huffed. “We’re awesome. Somebody’ll want a bid. Now get out of your chair and get moving.” 

For the first time in a week, Taeyong didn’t come home to two alphas in the middle of a project. They were upstairs in their room. Johnny sat in front of his bookshelf, meticulously straightening his video games, and Jaehyun leaned against his bed with his arms crossed and stared at Johnny’s half-full laundry basket. 

“A couple of door hinges around the house could use some WD-40,” he grumbled. “I bet the smoker could use some too.” 

“We have some.” 

Johnny and Jaehyun’s heads snapped up kind of startlingly fast.

“We do?” 

“Yeah, it’s in the cleaning closet.” He stepped cautiously into the room. The alphas’ room wasn’t one he was in very often. Even after all the cleaning, their warm, rich scents filled the place like a thick fog. It was mostly pleasant, fresh bread and woodsmoke, but it was strong, and at this intensity the musky edge of their scents, like fresh sex, stood out more than usual. It often made Taeyong’s stomach turn. Plus, despite their miraculous coexistence, they were still a pair of territorial alphas and the rest of the brothers generally kept out of their space. 

First things first. Taeyong approached Jaehyun, who pushed himself off the bed and kept his head ducked like he was trying not to be too tall. Taeyong gave his sturdy waist a little squeeze before he slid his arms around it and tucked his face into his shoulder. Jaehyun let out a sad little moan as he hugged back with his whole body; arms tight around Taeyong’s back and hands gripping, cheek pressed to Taeyong’s hair. Taeyong squeezed back as hard as he could, but his grip wasn’t nearly as tight as Jaehyun’s. 

“Sorry for being so distant today.” 

“S’okay,” he whispered. “Sorry about the chairs.” 

Taeyong tucked his face in tighter and rubbed his back. Jaehyun’s heat soaked into his chest and his arms held Taeyong snug and secure. The last time he’d been this comfortable was the time he slept so much while Jaehyun spooned him all night, and he couldn’t remember a time before that. 

Another pair of warm hands settled heavily on Taeyong’s hips, and Johnny’s broad chest pressed Jaehyun’s arms tighter against his back. He felt Jaehyun stiffen, and Johnny puff up in response, but they both took deep breaths and relaxed again. 

“Mm, you guys are adorable.” 

Johnny grunted. He slung his arms around both their shoulders. Taeyong found himself squished tight in the middle of a warm, fragrant, alpha sandwich, and wondered if there were any omega instincts deep in his subconscious that made him enjoy this so much or if it was just nice. Maybe it was because when they squeezed him so tight, for once he didn’t feel like he was about to fall apart. 

Johnny nuzzled against the back of his head and dropped little kisses right behind his ear. “What can we do to fix things?” he murmured. 

“Mmm. I’ll let you know if there’s anything. Let’s see if my plan works first.” 

Jaehyun hummed and it vibrated deep in his chest. “Of course you have a plan.” 

“It’s my job to have a plan. Speaking of.” With the same spartan will that he relied on to drag himself out of bed every morning, he pushed away from Jaehyun. All the meager strength he could muster in his skinny arms wouldn’t have gotten him anywhere if the alphas hadn’t gotten the hint and let him go. He hadn’t realized how much they were holding him up until he had to use his knees again. He hoped Jaehyun didn’t notice that he had to hold onto his arm extra hard for a second. “Johnny, we should get going.” 

“Okay.” Johnny wrapped back around his shoulders from behind. “Can I buy you dinner too?” 

Real quick, Taeyong shuffled through his schedule in his head and winced. “I mean I have a lot of work to do.” 

“But you have to eat.” 

Taeyong’s stomach clenched at the word ‘eat.’ “I really don’t have an appetite today.” 

Jaehyun grinned as he watched Johnny’s face over Taeyong’s shoulder. “Aw, Yong, he’s trying to ask you on a date.” 

“Oh.” Taeyong closed his tired eyes and resisted the urge to rub them. “Like real boyfriends, huh?” 

“Now I wanna come,” Jaehyun whined. 

“I mean you can.” Johnny didn’t sound too excited about it, but he didn’t sound too reluctant either. “He’s your boyfriend too.” 

“No, I have a whole five-page paper to write by tomorrow.” He smiled sadly, which gave him dimples.

“Don’t be too bummed, man, Yong said he’s not hungry anyway.” Now he really did sound disappointed. 

“It can still be a date,” Taeyong said quickly and patted his arm. “It’ll just be a shopping date instead of a dinner date.” 

Johnny squeezed Taeyong tighter and nuzzled against his hair. “Okay! Let’s go!” He let Taeyong go and marched over to his dresser to start stuffing things in his pockets. Jaehyun crossed his arms and sighed. 

“You okay?” Taeyong touched Jaehyun’s wrist so he would uncross his arms. “I’m not mad anymore.” 

“Really?” 

“Jaehyun, where did we put the car keys?” 

“Bowl in the foyer?” 

Johnny swore under his breath. “Why did I think that bowl was a good idea?” he ducked out the door and thundered down the stairs. 

Jaehyun finally uncrossed his arms so he could grab Taeyong’s hips instead and pulled him closer. “I’m glad you’re not mad anymore.” 

“Me too. I don’t like being mad.” Taeyong ducked his head so they weren’t nose to nose. 

“It wouldn’t have sucked so bad if I wasn’t so hormonal. Sorry about that.” Jaehyun’s thumbs circled against Taeyong’s waist and he tipped his head forward to rest their foreheads together. 

“It’s okay.” He gave Jaehyun’s very round, firm shoulder a soothing rub. 

“I didn’t want to, like, guilt you about being mad.” He pulled back and turned his head away. “I swear I’m trying not to force myself on you.” 

“You’re not, it’s okay.” Taeyong leaned in and left a little kiss right where Jaehyun’s dimple came out when he smiled. Like magic, the dimple appeared as soon as Taeyong’s lips left the spot. “I already agreed to do this nesting boyfriend thing. You’re not forcing anything.” He poked a fingertip into the dimple and smiled as it got deeper. Jaehyun turned back to look at him with eyes so warm and handsome that Taeyong’s heart may have skipped a beat. They were practically nose to nose again. Taeyong’s eyes flickered down to Jaehyun’s pretty lips. 

The door banged open. “Found them—oh shit!” Johnny’s keys jingled as he stuffed them in his back pocket. “Sorry guys. Are we kissing now?” 

“Guess not,” Jaehyun grumbled, but he gave Taeyong a little kiss on the forehead instead. 

Johnny shrugged. “Oops. Anyway, I’m ready to go.” 

“Me too.” Taeyong finally extracted himself from Jaehyun’s hands. “Jay, if you’re planning on staying up late to work on your paper, you can always come join me in the studio.” 

“Oh, rad. I’ll definitely be up late.” He leaned back against the bed, relaxed and smiling like usual. No more mopey sad alpha. “Actually, if the hormones start acting up, would you mind if I worked in your room while you’re gone?” 

Taeyong thought of the little orange bottle in his desk drawer. “Uh… I wouldn’t mind but Doyoung might. Better not. You can go to the studio while I’m not there though, if it’s just the smell you’re looking for.” 

Jaehyun nodded. “Okay that sounds good.” 

“Come on Yong!” Johnny grabbed his shoulder and steered him out the door. 

“Wavy or regular?” Johnny held up two party size bags of potato chips. 

“Which is cheaper?” 

“They cost the same, babe.” 

“Get both.” 

Two massive bags of potato chips landed in their already full shopping cart. “If we have chips, we need dip, right?” 

“Wrong.” Taeyong pushed the cart straight past the dip and headed for the two-liter sodas. 

“Yong, we can’t have chips without dip.” 

“Yes we can.” He bent down and began loading Mountain Dew and Coke and Ginger Ale into the bottom of the cart. “Let’s say it again, Johnny. College party. Saving money. College party.” 

“College party,” Johnny repeated glumly and reached over Taeyong to grab the cokes out of his hands and put them up in the basket. 

“College party. Saving money. Two hundred dollars per Adirondack chair.”

“That’s not part of the mantra.” 

“Just know that it’s implied.” He reached up blindly for the top of the cart and got Johnny’s belt instead, but that was good enough. He used it to haul himself upright. Johnny hooked him under the arm and helped. “Thanks.” 

“No problem. But we’re trying to impress these guys, right? And we give them chips without dip?” 

“Johnny, no one is expecting any food at all, and we’re giving them burgers and hotdogs.” He waved a hand at all the meat in the cart. “I am told that people like burgers when they’re drunk.” 

Johnny frowned at him. “Don’t you like burgers?” 

Taeyong frowned back. “I remember liking burgers as a kid, before they always made me sick.” 

Johnny whined and pulled Taeyong into a snuggly bear hug. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” 

“What a blissfully simple life you must lead.” Taeyong grumbled around a mouthful of hoody.

“What?” 

“Nothing. Next we need condiments.” He grabbed the handle of the cart again and pushed. It was much heavier now. 

“You want me to push the cart for a while?”

Taeyong gave him a warm smile. “No thanks, I got it.” 

Johnny stuck his lower lip out. “You sure? You’ve been pushing it this whole time. We could take turns.” He put a hand on the handle and gently nudged Taeyong out of the way. It would have been easier for Taeyong to stand his ground if his legs weren’t already so tired. 

“I-I’m kind of using it for support, actually.” He felt a blush crawl up his neck as Johnny’s eyebrows tipped in with worry. 

“Shit, are you okay? I can finish tomorrow. Do you want to go home?” 

“No, I’m fine. If I went home every time I felt like this, I’d never get anything done.” He grabbed the handle again and tried to gently nudge Johnny back, but Johnny didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he wrapped a big hand around Taeyong’s back and pulled him protectively to his chest. A soft kiss landed on his forehead right next to where Jaehyun had left his earlier. 

“Want a piggyback?” 

Taeyong laughed against Johnny’s shoulder, which was even thicker than Jaehyun’s. 

“In the middle of Target?” 

“Heck yeah.” 

Target shopping felt about two hundred percent more like a date from the comfort of Johnny’s back. Johnny hooked his arms under Taeyong’s knees and pushed the cart from there. At the condiments, he squatted way down so Taeyong could grab the mustard off a low shelf and then stood right back up again. 

“Check out Doug over there.” 

An older dude in a confederate flag t-shirt and sagging jowls stared at them over the top of the candle shelves. Taeyong snickered. “He’s just jealous.” 

“Yeah, I bet he’s never seen such a pretty boy before. He’s not sure if he wants to carry you around or be you.” 

Taeyong snorted. “He can be me if he wants. Just so long as I don’t have to be him.” 

“Do you think he’d like having two alpha boyfriends?” 

The man took out his phone and pointed it at them, no subtlety at all. 

“He couldn’t handle it. Giddyap.” He gave Johnny’s thigh a little kick. Johnny let out an offended bark, but he did speed up. Doug boy disappeared behind a higher shelf, still frowning and poking roughly at his phone screen. 

“What’s next on the list? Do we need to decorate?” 

“Hm… Nah, the party lights we already have are enough. I think we’re done.” 

Johnny paused to hoist him back up and then redirected their cart through home goods. Taeyong snuggled in, face in his shoulder. 

“You’re not as warm as Jaehyun. I thought his body heat was an alpha thing.” 

“Nah, that’s just him. He’s a furnace.” He stopped to examine a lamp with an outlet in the base. “This would be great next to the couch.” 

“We can’t afford it.”

Johnny hiked him up again and moved on. “I actually usually run cold. Something tells me you do to.” 

“I do. When I don’t have a fever.” 

Johnny sighed. He stopped by a shelf full of blankets. “You got one of these?” He poked an extremely soft, fuzzy blanket on the bottom shelf with his toe. “I got one when I was dorm shopping freshman year and it was one of the best things I’ve ever bought.” 

“A fuzzy blanket? I have a small one in the studio.” 

“You need one for your bed. I’ll get you one. Pick your favorite color.” 

“Johnny…” Taeyong squirmed on his back. “You might have to pay for Adirondak chairs. Don’t waste your money.” 

“It’s not a waste.” Johnny turned his face to the side and his lips brushed against Taeyong’s temple. “This is a date, remember? Let me buy you something nice.”

Taeyong did love those fuzzy blankets. “They’re not cheap, dude, seriously.”

“Pick your favorite color or I’m going to pick for you.”

“Ugh…” Taeyong hid his face in Johnny’s neck. “You pick. In case you want it back when we break up in a week.”

Johnny scoffed. “I’m not going to want it back, stupid. Let’s see. They don’t have Pearl Neo Champagne.”

Sure enough, the shelf was completely devoid of obscure, lurid frat colors. “Maybe they’re just sold out.” 

“Do you want gray or dark green?” 

“Dark green.” 

“Cool.” Johnny bent down to read the tags and his back became mostly horizontal. Taeyong didn’t have to use his arms and legs to hang on anymore, he could just lie flat on Johnny’s back. He moaned and went limp. 

“Oh, is riding on my back too much work for you?” 

Taeyong closed his eyes. “No, this is just comfy.” 

Johnny swung his arm and something soft and warm landed on Taeyong’s back. “Do I need to walk to checkout like this?” 

“Maybe.” 

Johnny backed up a few steps, still bent over. “We might get a few more weird looks like this. Yup, mom and three kids, nine o’clock.” 

“Mmm…” An almost irresistible wave of drowsiness filled his head and weighed down his limbs where they dangled on either side of Johnny’s body. 

“It’s going to be a lot harder to push the cart like this.” 

Johnny was warm and solid under Taeyong’s chest. Fingertips brushed Taeyong’s cheek. 

“Baby, I wish I could let you sleep but now just isn’t a good time.” 

He was right. Taeyong breathed deep and enjoyed every last second of rest he got before—

Johnny leaned way forward. Taeyong yelped as he tipped toward the ground. The blanket toppled up his back and got caught on their heads. 

“I’m awake!” 

“Don’t mind me, just stretching.” Johnny bent forward even more. 

Taeyong squeaked and clamped his thighs down around Johnny’s middle. “Johnny!” 

“Look, I can touch my toes.” The angle increased. A frantic giggle bubbled out of Taeyong’s throat as he scrambled to stay on Johnny’s back. 

“I can’t look there’s a blanket on my head!” 

“Oh is that what happened? I thought they turned the lights off.” 

Taeyong’s legs slipped. He shrieked. His arms gave up too and he tried to dive off sideways just as Johnny tried to stand up. He tumbled with a high pitched scream. Johnny sort of caught him. There was a controlled collapse that Taeyong felt but couldn’t see with an admittedly very soft blanket wrapped around his face, and then he landed landed gently on the ground. Taeyong’s panic shrieking dissolved into laughing. 

“See, I got you,” Johnny giggled. “That went exactly like I planned.” He wrapped the blanket several more times around Taeyong’s face as he tried to get untangled. 

“Hey!” He took a blind swipe at Johnny, who ducked away. Taeyong finally wrestled the blanket off, only to find a couple wide-eyed teenage girls staring at him as they passed by, and Johnny was halfway down the aisle with the cart. 

“Johnny!” Taeyong scrambled up off the floor and dashed after him. 

“I’ve never seen you move so fast.” Johnny caught the blanket as Taeyong tossed it in his face and dumped it in the cart. 

“You left me rolling on the floor in the middle of target like some drunk asshole!” He wished he could look angrier but he was still giggling. 

“It was adorable, I didn’t want to spoil it.” 

“There were girls watching!” 

“I know!” Johnny bust into his own round of snickers. “You should have seen their jaws drop when you finally got the blanket off. They weren’t expecting that.” He slapped on a handsome smirk and tapped Taeyong under the chin. “Prettiest boy in the world. I can’t take you anywhere, you freak out the locals.” 

“Oh my god.” Taeyong yanked Johnny’s snapback off and used it to hide his blush and his pleased smile. Johnny’s big strong arms grabbed him again and swung him up bridal style. It felt a lot like being carried by Jaehyun. Taeyong kept the hat pulled over his face until Johnny lifted him away from his body and lowered him right into the full cart. 

“Johnny, the buns!” He gripped the edges of the cart as the pile under him began to sink. 

“It’s okay, college party, remember? Drunk people don’t notice flat buns.” He took his hat back. Taeyong blinked up at the bright lights and Johnny hovering over him with his hands braced on the sides of the cart on either side of him. His handsome smirk was still on his face. “You’re cute when you let me throw you around.” 

Taeyong forgot all about the buns deflating under his butt. All he could think about was how his thighs were spread with one leg flung over the side of the cart and the other foot tucked into the opposite corner and he didn’t have enough energy left to close them. His head was pillowed on a bundle of fluffy green blanket, and his shirt rode up a little over his skeletal waist, but for some reason he didn’t want to fix it. Johnny’s eyes flickered up and down his body. His hand swept over the inside of Taeyong’s thigh as he pulled back and began to push the cart again. 

For a moment or two, Taeyong felt a little dizzy with the way Johnny was framed between his spread legs, still looking down at him with the flirtiest little edge of a smirk. Then it dawned on him that they were still in Target and he was lounging on top of a pile of paper plates and hot dogs. He pulled a fold of the blanket over his burning face and fixed his shirt. “When I agreed to be you guys’ nesting boyfriend, this is not what I expected.” 

“Really?” Johnny laughed. “What did you expect?” 

“Just, like, cleaning and hugs. From you at least.”

“Actually, that’s all I thought it was going to be too. Usually when I have nesting buddies who aren’t omegas, it stays pretty professional.” 

“Huh.” The cheeks only got warmer. Taeyong mustered enough energy to lift his leg over the side of the cart and closed his thighs. 

“Maybe it has something to do with you being the prettiest boy in the world.” 

Taeyong peeked out from under the blanket to see Johnny’s flirty grin and couldn’t help but smile again, so he covered his face back up. “You could at least call me handsome or something,” he whined. “Yesterday you were defending my masculinity with Momo and now you’re calling me pretty.”

“She said you’d make a good omega though. I feel like that implies a lot more stuff than just calling you pretty.” The cart turned and stopped, which meant they were in line. Taeyong stayed under the blanket in case his face was as nervous as he suddenly felt. With any luck the conversation would flow on without further mention of male omegas. 

No such luck. 

“I was telling Jaehyun earlier,” said Johnny, “I’m sure lots of male omegas these days are chill, but their reputation still isn’t great. Maybe one day when everybody knows suppressants are fucked up and a lot more normal, well-adjusted male omegas choose not to take them, it won’t be a weird thing to call somebody, but right now it’s rude.” 

It would be nice if whole bunch of omegas all over the place would suddenly went off their meds. Then maybe in a few years after the social upheaval, Taeyong could too. Maybe then it wouldn’t destroy his future.

“I’m sure Jaehyun had lots to say about that.” 

Johnny laughed. “Yeah, he did. I shouldn’t have brought it up with him, but I was just kinda pissed when she said that, and I wanted to get it off my chest.”

Taeyong took the green blanket off his face to check the length of the line, since it wasn’t exactly a crowded day at The Target, but it looked like everyone in the store was checking out at the same time and there was only one register open. “You’re right, it did kinda hurt when she said that,” he admitted softly. 

“See? That’s what I’m saying.” 

“But I didn’t think she was trying to compare me to male omegas, just to herself and her friends. Like, girl omegas.” 

“I mean yeah, of course she was. I don’t think she was trying to insult you. Obviously she’s an omega, and that’s great on her, mad respect. But most guys would rather be more like alphas, you know? Different goals.”

“Mhmm…” Taeyong nodded. “Like, not better goals necessarily, just different.”

“Yeah exactly. Some guys are cool with being more like an omega, like Ten, and that’s awesome too, but you don’t come off like you’re going for omega vibes so it’s like telling a ballet dancer they’ve got a good body for football.”

Taeyong snickered. “That’s a good way to put it.” 

“That doesn’t mean we’re looking down on female omegas.”

Taeyong should really let it go so the churning in his stomach would stop, but Johnny was so close to seeing the real picture. Taeyong would be letting down his fellow omegas if he didn’t nudge him in the right direction. “I think,” he started, and paused to clear his throat, “male omegas were only stigmatized because people looked down on female omegas. That’s why they started taking suppressants to begin with, because they didn’t want to be like them.” 

The cart stopped again. “Wait, really? Don’t they take suppressants because men aren’t supposed to be omegas anyway? I thought they were rare because it’s a genetic disorder or something.” 

They were also getting dangerously close to the point where Johnny might notice that Taeyong knew a little too much about this, but Johnny didn’t look suspicious yet. “…We have just as many female alphas. They don’t take suppressants.” 

“Why would they? Being an alpha is great.” 

Taeyong pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at him. Johnny blinked back. “So you don’t want me to call you pretty. Should I call you gorgeous instead? Breathtaking?” He smirked. “Alluring?” 

Taeyong almost openly sighed with relief. The compliments were great, but it was even better to have that topic behind them. He hid his smile behind the green blanket. “Those are all good. You can call me pretty. I’ll take it for Momo.” 

“You’re hot.”

“Hehe…” He rubbed the green blanket over his eyes. “Thanks. That’s nice to hear. All I see when I look in the mirror is black circles and sunken cheeks. Sometimes I wonder how I’d look if I slept and ate like a normal person.” 

“I don’t notice that much.” 

“You’d notice if you saw me with my shirt off.” 

“Mm, maybe I will. Hey, how’r you?” Taeyong uncovered his face and found himself face to face with a cute Target employee rapidly going from confused to flustered. 

“Hey,” he said, feeling a little flustered himself, and struggled to push himself upright in the cart.

Johnny swooped him up again, blanket and all. “I’ll be purchasing this separately,” he said, and set Taeyong gently on his feet. 

“This is a first,” said Target employee, who’s tag said “Yves” and Taeyong had no idea how to pronounce that. “You okay?” 

“I hurt my legs recently,” he explained with an apologetic wince. 

“Oh no! What happened?” 

“There was an incident with a fifth of jack and the frat house stairs.” 

She gave him a sympathetic pout. “Hope you heal up alright.” 

“Thanks.” He started tossing flat buns on the belt. Johnny gave him a weird look over an armful of paper plates and napkins. 

In the end it was over two-hundred dollars, which, of course, was inevitable since they were in Target. Even an enjoyable round of him and Johnny tag team flirting with their charming cashier didn’t stop him from groaning in despair when the total appeared on the screen. “I swear to god if we don’t have all the best sophomore guys on campus falling at our feet on Saturday…” 

Yves blinked at him. “What?” 

“Fall rush,” Johnny explained. 

“Oh. Haha.” 

Taeyong covered his eyes and put the SigMu card in the machine. “I wonder what the max on this thing is.” 

Johnny leaned over to look at the screen. “It’ll be over two-hundred.” 

“We still need to go to the liquor store.” 

“Not for the sophomores I hope,” said Yves with a conspiratorial grin, which Taeyong returned. 

“Of course not.” 

The machine dinged. Taeyong took his card out and Johnny presented the green blanket’s tag to Yves as Taeyong began reloading the cart. 

“Thanks, Eve,” said Johnny and draped the green blanket over Taeyong’s shoulders. 

“Oh, thank you for saying my name right! It was nice to meet you guys!” 

They gave her a wave and pushed their cart towards the exit. “She was cute. Where next?” 

“Lowe’s.” 

Johnny stopped and squinted at him. “Lowe’s?” 

“Yes. Lowe’s.” 

The Lowe’s parking lot was practically empty on a Thursday evening, thirty minutes before closing. Johnny parked close, but Taeyong still held back a groan as they trekked across the pavement and tried not to think about how big the store was on the inside. 

“So,” Johnny said, and sipped the iced whatever he’d gotten at the Target Starbucks, “do you and Jaehyun kiss a lot, or…” 

Taeyong’s face warmed up again. “We have almost kissed a few times.” 

“Oh, scandalous.” Johnny sipped again, louder. “I didn’t realize we were taking the boyfriend thing this far. Is that just a Jaehyun thing? …Or is the option open to me too?” Slurp.

Taeyong’s face flushed further. “You wanna kiss me?” 

“Uh…” Johnny shook around the ice in his cup and walked a little faster. Taeyong forced his legs to keep up. “Like I said I’m usually pretty professional with the rare non-omega nesting buddies but I guess you’re an exception. It’s just hormones, it’s not going to hurt my feelings if you don’t want to.” They entered the building and Taeyong grabbed the closest cart and headed for the aisle number he’d looked up online. 

“I mean, that’s gonna have to be between you territorial alphas, but if you two are cool with sharing, you’re just as much my nesting boyfriend as Jaehyun is. If that’s what you need, I’m, uh…” his cheeks flamed. He felt like a slut but that didn’t necessarily feel bad. “I mean I’d… be down. Like, I’d be cool with that.” They came to their aisle and turned. Taeyong felt his heartbeat in his hands as he gripped the cart handle.

“Cool cool.” Slurp. “No pressure of course, you know I’m a lot less, like, romantic during nesting than Jaehyun is. Just in case, you know?” 

“Yeah, of course.” He squinted down the aisle and realized with horror that their target was all the way at the back wall. 

“I was also kinda wondering if, like…” painfully long pause, “if you’d thought about, like, when we hit rut.” 

Taeyong tripped and caught himself on the cart, which made the front wheels lift up off the floor and bang back down. Johnny’s big hand landed on the small of his back. “You good?” 

“’M good. Uh. You mean like…” 

“Sex.” 

“Right.” 

“Yeah. No pressure or anything. I was just wondering if you’d, like, thought about it at all. If we’re making out now, then-”

“It had crossed my mind,” Taeyong said quickly. “I don’t have an answer for you.” 

“That’s it, that’s all the answer I was looking for.” 

“Oh.” They crossed the midway point. Just a little further. “That’s just… a lot more intense than kissing, with like… there’s two of you and… three days of… you know. And you guys are alphas…” 

“Yeah yeah, no, it’s a lot. Um. Really don’t feel pressured at all, like, I’m not expecting… Don’t worry about it okay? It’s whatever you—” his next step faltered. “Why are we walking towards the Adirondack chairs?” 

“I have a plan.” 

“A plan that involves buying Adirondack chairs?” 

Taeyong really did sigh with relief this time. He was distracted. “Just trust me, okay?” He passed the plastic chairs and rolled up the wooden one that looked the most like the school chairs. “Wow, two-hundred and fifty dollars each.” 

“Taeyong, what—” 

“Could you load one into the cart, please? I’m afraid I’ll drop it on myself.” 

Johnny grabbed a chair and plopped it in the cart like it weighted nothing. “Taeyong, this is so expensive. What about the plastic ones?” 

“The chairs you stole are wood, Johnny.” He turned the cart around and poured all his jittery awkward energy into marching the cart towards checkout. Johnny easily kept pace.

“You know Donghyuck and Jaehyun and I are ready to pay out of pocket, right?” 

“You may not have to if my plan works.” 

They were already halfway back to the front. “Are you, like, replacing one chair to throw them off? Do we need more spray paint too?” 

“How would one new, slightly mismatched chair throw them off, John?” 

“That’s why I’m confused, babe.” 

Taeyong managed to make it to the end of the aisle without any more questions and sighed with relief again when self-checkout was right there. He grabbed the gun and the tag and zapped it four times. 

“FOUR?” 

“Just trust me.” He jammed the frat card into the checkout machine, panting slightly, and hoped it didn’t have some stupidly low limit on it. 

“Taeyong, that number has four digits. Like, before the decimal.” 

“Sure does.” He glanced over at Johnny’s stunned face and had to giggle a little. “You good?” 

“Sorry, I’m just really shocked to see you of all people being all fast and loose with, like, the entire fall formal budget.” 

“It’s kind of thrilling actually… I think I’m getting an adrenaline rush.” 

Johnny looked downright offended and rocked forward on his heels like he was about jump in and wrestle the card out of Taeyong’s hands. The machine dinged. The receipt printed. Taeyong grinned down at a short sheet of paper that clearly marked the purchase of four Adirondack chairs, marked October 18th, and then abandoned Johnny and the cart and marched towards the customer service desk. 

“Can I help you?” said an elderly man in bifocals as he looked up from his watch. His eyes widened when Taeyong gave him his prettiest smile.

“Yes sir. I need to do a return.”


	6. Friday

“So I heard you two are sleeping together,” said Ten around the rim on his solo cup. The buzz of their regular Friday night get-together commencing filled the living room with hoots and worrying bangs, and Taeyong would go check it out, but he’d been captured by an anxious alpha. He frowned down at where Jaehyun’s arms were wrapped tight around his waist. 

“Well that’s not… not true…” 

Ten’s eyes lit up. 

“But it’s just sleeping.” 

“We haven’t even kissed,” Jaehyun groaned from somewhere behind Taeyong’s left shoulder. 

Ten turned his wicked little grin into serious stank face. “Seriously? Just sleeping?”

“I mean that’s kind of a big deal for me.”

Jaehyun finally lifted his head up. “He slept for seven whole hours last night. For the second night in a row!” 

“Oh!” The wicked little grin returned. “Guess you better keep an alpha in your bed every night.” 

“Nah, we tried that, most of the time it doesn’t help at all.” 

Ten shrugged. “It takes some time to get used to sharing a bed, especially these tiny twin ones. Give it a week or two.” 

Lucas slid past the door on his socks with a whoop and then there was a bang and a loud scrape of table legs on the floor. Jaehyun’s forehead tucked back into Taeyong’s neck and he whined. 

Ten got up on his toes to squint over Taeyong’s shoulder. “What’s up with him?” 

“His nest is being invaded.” 

“I hate this,” Jaehyun groaned. 

“We brought Franzia!” Yeri bust through the door, slammed a box of pink on the counter and the began whipping open cabinets and digging for cups. 

Irene followed her in and dumped her jacket on top of the fridge. “Get me one too, please,” she said as the R2D2 cookie jar wobbled threateningly. 

Yeri yanked a couple plastic cups off a tall shelf and then ducked as another one clattered onto the floor. She stuffed it back into a lower shelf with the bowls, and then started pouring without looking and half missed.

Ten moved his designer sneakers away from the splash zone and closer to Taeyong and Jaehyun. “You’ve been cleaning this kitchen for a week, haven’t you?”

“Yeah.” 

Taeyong patted his arm. “This is good practice for tomorrow. The rush party will be even bigger and there will be strangers.” 

“God, don’t remind me.” 

“And we have to impress them.” 

“…” 

“Which means we can’t be sulking.” 

“Hnnnnnggg….” 

Taeyong swirled a poorly portioned Moscow Mule around in his glass and sipped it. It was mostly vodka and they’d forgotten to buy limes. Ten nodded at it. “Is it a barf and chug night?” 

“No, actually I feel pretty good. So far. This might change that.” 

Jaehyun’s big, warm hand flattened out over Taeyong’s tummy and pet. That was nice. 

Yeri sidled up into their circle. “Oh wow, these two are making me jealous, I want cuddles.”

Ten threw his arms open and splashed a little of his own drink onto Jaehyun’s spotless floor. “Come here, baby.” 

She grinned and tucked herself into his side. “We brought chips and salsa, by the way. And drinking game stuff. Joy made up a new one.” 

“Oh sweet.” Ten lifted a finger and flicked Taeyong’s glass. “Don’t drink that too fast, handsome, there’s a whole shot and a half in there. You don’t want to be blacked out before the fun even starts.”

“Haha.” 

“Heeey, lightweights!” Yeri tipped her drink to him. “I’m a two per night kinda gal too. That makes sense though, we probably weight about the same.” 

“Yeah, actually, we probably do.” 

“Hey mom,” Donghyuck appeared at the door with Mark in tow. “Can you come calm Johnny down? He’s saying he’s gonna draw a massive beer pong bracket on the pong room wall.” 

“Christ.” He tapped Jaehyun’s hands for release and then hurried after Donghyuck, but he could tell by the way the smell of fresh bread and sex didn’t fade at all that Jaehyun stayed right behind him, and sure enough as soon as he arrived at the pong room door, Jaehyun’s warm hand settled on the small of his back. The room was full. A game was already underway and almost everybody else was packed tight around the other side of the table so they wouldn’t get in the way of Johnny, who had one of those big wood shop pencils from the shed out back and a ruler and was drawing lines on the closest wall, brows furrowed in concentration. 

“Johnny.” 

He froze and turned to blink down at him with a frown. “…Hi.” 

“I’m not saying I don’t like the idea of a permanent reusable pong bracket on the wall but that’s not the kind of project you start in the middle of a party.” 

Johnny didn’t move, but he did glance over his shoulder to glare at Donghyuck. 

“If I don’t do it now it’s not going to get done by the rush party.” 

“I mean, probably, but that’s okay. I don’t think a pong bracket is going to make or break anybody’s decision to come back.” 

The ruler stayed planted on the wall, and the Wendy and Seulgi versus Taeil and Jungwoo game had all turned to watch what was going on. Johnny glared. “It might.”

“Yeah, it might,” Jaehyun growled from behind Taeyong, “if it looks like shit because you started it on a whim while you were already half sloshed.” 

“Hey fuck you,” Johnny growled, and Yuta called “he has a point,” from the other side of the table. The ruler finally left the wall so Johnny could whip around with a growl. “Could both of you shut up? You guys both know it’s going to drive me fucking crazy if I don’t do this right now.” 

The hand on Taeyong’s back slid around to his hip and gripped too tight. “And it’s going to drive me fucking crazy if you fuck up the wall in here, and then I’m going to have to spend a whole day fixing it.” 

“Pfft, Jesus,” Yuta snickered and put his hands up. 

“You need to chill the fuck out,” Johnny growled. 

“I got five bucks on Johnny!” Donghyuck called from the back. 

Taeyong planted his feet on the floor as Jaehyun pressed in towards Johnny but ended up stumbling forward anyway. Jaehyun other hand grabbed his waist. “You’re the one starting a fucking arts and crafts project in the middle of a party. That’s gotta be a party foul.”

“Why is it any of your business? Go make cookies or something.” 

Jaehyun growled and pushed forward again. Taeyong’s drink sloshed out of his cup and onto the floor. Both alphas froze. Jaehyun’s hands tightened even more. 

“Five on Jaehyun,” said Joy. 

“Guys let’s take this ups—” 

“Dude, the fuck?” Johnny reached over Taeyong’s shoulder and shoved Jaehyun, who growled. “Stop pushing Taeyong around, look what you did! I spent like an hour mopping the floor in here last weekend.” 

“And you will again next weekend!” Taeil shouted, “because it’s the fucking beer pong room.” 

Jaehyun growled and lurched forward again, trying to push Taeyong out of the way, who braced his free hand on the wall and held firm, though he did chug the last of his drink so he could toss his cup away. 

“Seriously you two, could you just—” 

Johnny growled and pushed him too. Taeyong found himself deposited firmly against the wall as Johnny and Jaehyun squared up in each other’s faces, growling. Behind them, Ten whipped out his phone to start filming. 

Taeyong took a deep breath and shouted “OW!” The growls cut off hard. Both alphas whipped around to look at him. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Oh my god Taeyong, what’s wrong?” 

He batted away all four of their hands. “Nothing. I’m fine. Could both of you join me in the kitchen please?” 

There was a room-wide peal of snickers. Poor Jaehyun’s ears turned red, and Johnny went back to looking livid, but when Taeyong pushed them towards the door, they went. 

“I’m sorry to pull that trick on you guys, but Ten was going to film and put it on snapchat or something which I’m sure neither of you want. Especially not with rush starting tomorrow.” 

“Oh,” Jaehyun grumbled, and Johnny hissed “bitch.” 

“Don’t talk about your brother like that.” he checked behind them as they went into the kitchen to make sure no one was following, but there was only Lucas galloping down the stairs back to the beer pong room, followed by a stressed out Kun. “Okay.” He looked back at the alphas. There was some kind of stare-down going on, but it didn’t seem totally hostile. “So if this is a test run for tomorrow, that would be an example of what not to do.” 

“Bet we could’ve settled things fine if Jaehyun hadn’t jumped in.”

A low growl started in Jaehyun’s chest again, and Johnny growled back. 

“He’s just following the same instincts you are, Johnny.” 

The growling faded. Jaehyun took a deep breath. “Gotta protect my nest from ugly wall art,” he muttered. 

“Shut up. You don’t care. You were just defending Taeyong.” 

“No, dude, like, I really actually do not want you fucking up the pong room wall.” 

Johnny blinked at him. “Oh.” 

“Yeah.” Jaehyun finally broke eye contact to look up at the ceiling. “Listen, I’m already so on edge because of people being messy, the last thing I need is anybody making changes to the house, even you.” 

Johnny frowned down at his pencil and ruler. “I see your point.” 

“If you want,” said Taeyong, “I can help you do it tomorrow, and we can use a tape measure and a paint marker instead of a ruler and a Sharpie.” 

“Nah, honestly I already don’t want to do it anymore.” 

“Oh, thank god,” Jaehyun breathed a huge sigh of relief, and then wandered towards the sink. 

Taeyong grinned. “Wow, breaking up alpha fights is easy when you guys actually listen to each other.” 

Johnny wrapped his arms around Taeyong’s shoulders. “We wouldn’t be able to live together if we weren’t really good at this.” 

“It definitely took some practice,” Jaehyun said from the floor where he was mopping up Franzia with a wet dish towel. Loud cheering came from the beer pong room, but Taeyong found he didn’t want to go back that bad when he could get big warm Johnny hugs instead. 

He kissed Taeyong’s hair again. “You’re so small.” 

“Hey.” 

“And, like, frail.” He yelped as Taeyong jabbed him in the ribs. “Seriously though, if you don’t feel sick, I could boil you some pasta right now.” 

“Hmm, no thanks.” 

“Toast?”

“Really, it’s okay.”

Over in Jaehyun’s direction, there was the sound rustling plastic and then the creak of toaster springs. 

“We should get back to the party.” 

“Not until you eat.” Johnny finally pulled away and squinted down at the drawing tools in his hand. “I need to put these away. I’ll be right back.” 

Once he was out of the kitchen, it was just tipsy Taeyong, Jaehyun glaring at a toaster, and the ambient noises of pong hooting. “Jay, are you good?” 

Jaehyun pursed his lips, which made his dimples pop out, and it took him a second to nod. “You’d think I wouldn’t freak out since I know everybody and half of them live here anyway. Maybe it’s worse because I spent the whole day cleaning or something.” He took off his snapback to tug a hand through his hair a few times. 

“Because they’re making a mess?” 

“No, it’s not even that.” He jammed his hat back on his head and held an arm out, eyes pleading. Taeyong snuggled up to his chest, one arm around his waist and the other folded between them so he could settle his hand on Jaehyun’s broad chest. He aimed his chin for Jaehyun’s shoulder until Jaehyun ducked and pressed their foreheads together. Such a sweet alpha. Taeyong relaxed into his gentle embrace and breathed in his delicious smell. Taeyong wished he could melt into him. “My territorial instincts are going fucking insane right now,” Jaehyun murmured, and his sweet, lime White Claw scented breath puffed against Taeyong’s lips. 

“That must feel really weird.” 

The toaster banged and Taeyong jumped. Jaehyun lifted his head up and glared at it. Taeyong’s head felt too heavy when he couldn’t rest it against Jaehyun’s. His deep, velvety voice was too far away when he said, “it’s like that uncomfortable feeling you get when somebody invades your personal space, but like, as soon as they enter the house.” 

Taeyong slid his hand up Jaehyun’s chest to touch two fingers under his chin and pulled Jaehyun’s face back towards him. Jaehyun let Taeyong guide him. His handsome face hovered right above Taeyong’s, almost too close to see clearly. His eyes were so soft, mouth so pretty. He was too gorgeous to be real. “Maybe we should give your instincts something else to focus on,” Taeyong murmured, and that pretty mouth popped open in surprise. Perfect for Taeyong to lean in and capture Jaehyun’s bottom lip between his own. 

Jaehyun gasped as their lips touched, and then he kissed back. Their mouths molded together in a soft, slick caress. It was only a second before their lips popped apart again with a hot little wet noise, and Taeyong basked in a moment of _fuck_ yes and _finally_ , and then Jaehyun squeezed tight around his shoulders and he kissed him again. This time he pressed more firmly against Taeyong’s mouth and sucked harder. A little moan slipped from Taeyong’s throat as Jaehyun hauled him in with a hand in his hair and kissed him with the same kind of desperate need that Yuta had when he’d dragged him into his fuck tent. Taeyong tried to keep up with every heavy press and suck, but Jaehyun’s kisses were powerful and overwhelming. All he could do was follow Jaehyun’s lead as Jaehyun pawed at his hair and kissed him deeper.

“Whoa!” 

Taeyong jumped hard but it didn’t even seem like Jaehyun heard Johnny’s entrance. He just slid his hands over Taeyong’s back and kissed harder. 

“Okay, this is cute and all but if you guys don’t stop now, you’ll never make it back to the party.” 

A low growl rumbled deep and threatening in Jaehyun’s chest as Johnny came closer and rattled against Taeyong’s sternum. The kissing stopped when Johnny’s hands landed on their shoulders, but it took a second for Jaehyun to let go. In fact, for a moment he clutched him so tight it started to hurt and kept growling. 

“Shh, Jaehyun shhh.” Taeyong rubbed his back. The growling died almost immediately and Jaehyun tucked his face into Taeyong’s neck and took a few deep breaths. 

“I leave you guys for thirty seconds.” 

“Taeyong,” Jaehyun breathed. His lips fastened onto Taeyong’s neck for one last sloppy wet kiss and then he pulled back, eyes glowing, cheeks pink and dimpled.

Taeyong poked a fingertip into one of the dimples. “Better?” 

“Yeah, way better.” He caught Taeyong’s hand and kissed his fingers. “Thanks.” 

Johnny tugged on a strand of Taeyong’s hair. “Can I get a kiss?” 

Taeyong caught himself eyeing Johnny’s lips and blushed. That not so bad slutty feeling came back when he realized he kind of liked the idea of the alphas passing him back and forth. “S-sure… since I’m handing them out…” He checked to make sure Jaehyun was cool with that. He was still beaming. 

To his surprise it was Johnny who bit his lip in a not sexy way and shook his head. “Maybe not while you still taste like Jaehyun, but I might hit you up later.” 

Pong room noises got louder and spilled into the living room. There was another Lucas shout followed by a bang but this time Jaehyun ignored it. Taeil stuck his head in the door. “Hey if you three are good, we’re playing Joy’s new drinking game.” 

A circle had formed in the middle of the living room, taking up every chair and all the floor space in between. Taeyong, with a plate of buttered toast and a large cup of Franzia, took a seat in front of the couch against Doyoung’s legs. Johnny and Jaehyun settled on either side of him as usual. Jaehyun went the extra mile and put a hand on Taeyong’s thigh, which felt amazing now that the last of the Moscow Mule had kicked in. 

“This is boring,” Joy started, “I don’t know why Yeri’s getting everybody excited about this new drinking game, it’s just never have I ever with extra rules.” 

All ten of Lucas’s massive fingers popped up in the air with a loud “RAAAHHH” sound effect to go with. Next to him Mark lost it, feet stamping and knee slapping and everything.   
“Yeah, so…” Joy crawled forward and set a massive cup with a Red Lobster logo on the side in the middle of the circle. “Sip your drink when you put a finger down, obviously, but also, if you are the only person to put a finger down, then you have to come dump some of your drink into the cup, and the person who loses has to drink it.” She shuffled back to her space. Taeyong took a large chug of Franzia and put it on the ground so he could hold up both hands. 

“I’ll start!” shouted Ten, “never have I ever been somebody’s nesting buddy.” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes, put a finger down, and reached for his drink. 

“Me too.” Joy held up a four-fingered hand. 

Across the way Yuta held up his hand too. “So have all the alphas, I think we’ve all had omega girlfriends.” 

“Aw, that’s boring,” Ten huffed, “I was hoping to just get Taeyong.” 

“You really thought nobody else in here ever dated somebody type?” Jungwoo showed his lowered finger too. 

“I didn’t even date mine,” said Kun, “I just led an orientation team with her.” 

Ten rolled his eyes. “I’m drunk, okay? Next.” 

“Oh, that’s me.” Seulgi sat up a little “Never have I ever… played a trombone.” 

“Boring!” shrieked Ten, but half of Mark’s beer ended up in the Red Lobster cup. While Mark got back in his place and Lucas took ages coming up with his, the hand on Taeyong’s thigh began to travel. It slid around to his inseam and up towards his crotch, heavy and warm. Thankfully it never got so close that Taeyong had to move it to defend his decency, but it was close enough to make heat rise under Taeyong’s collar. It made him want. The weight of Jaehyun’s kisses still tingled on his lips.

“Wait, Yuta?” Somebody yelled to general noises of shock. Taeyong glanced around and realized he hadn’t been paying attention. 

“Johnny, what was the question?” 

Johnny scooted close and leaned in. His chest pressed up against Taeyong’s shoulder and his thigh got tucked under Taeyong’s knee. “Apparently Yuta has sucked a dick before.”

Across the circle Yuta shrugged and said, “I was adventurous in high school,” which was exactly what he’d told Taeyong back when Taeyong asked him how the fuck he was so damn good at it. He caught himself smiling as he remembered how Yuta’s pretty lips looked around his dick. Then he glanced up at Yuta and realized Yuta was looking right back at him with half a smirk on. Taeyong jerked his face away. 

Somehow it was already Johnny’s turn, which meant Taeyong had been drunk fixating on Jaehyun’s hand on his thigh for longer than he thought. “Never have I ever kissed a boy,” said Johnny. Taeyong turned to give him the stank eye. Jaehyun leaned around Taeyong to also glare, and Johnny grinned back at both of them. “Drink up,” he said.

Donghyuck, who had never kissed any boys, started a noisy round of applause. “Yay, I’m so happy to see that Taeyong and Johnny haven’t been making out all week!” 

“But Taeyong and Jaehyun have,” said Kun, and Lucas screamed, but Donghyuck shrugged.

“Don’t care about that, that’s fine. Taeyong’s turn!” 

“Wait!” Ten pointed a drunk finger at them. “Like thirty minutes ago you guys said you’d never kissed!” 

“Yeah, but that was thirty minutes ago.” Taeyong chugged Franzia while the circle oohed. “Never have I ever gotten my nipples pierced,” he said as a distraction, and Yuta dumped lots of whisky and coke into the Red Lobster cup on top of Mark’s beer. 

“Never have I ever gotten my belly button pierced,” said Doyoung, but this time Yuta was joined by Irene. 

“I was adventurous in high school.” She gave Yuta the most elegant fist bump Taeyong had ever seen. 

“Never have I ever been on a date with a guy,” said Jaehyun, which put Taeyong and Johnny down another finger each, along with all the girls and Ten, but that was it. Taeyong noticed that Jaehyun was lowering fingers on his other hand, so the one on Taeyong’s thigh stayed open. That was nice. 

“Never have I everrrrrr… uuuuuh… uuuuuuuuuuh…” Lucas scanned the room with wide eyes and then pointed right at Ten, “had butt sex!” 

Johnny put down a finger and now had one whole hand out. Since he wasn’t using it anymore, he swung it around Taeyong’s shoulders. 

“Was that supposed to single me out?” Ten giggled, “you were literally in the room last week when we learned Taeyong has done that.” 

Mark, Yeri, Taeil, and Jungwoo all screamed at once. “Really?” said Jaehyun. 

“Oh yeah.” Taeyong had been planning to lie, but since he was busted he went ahead and put a finger down while he squinted around at everybody else. “I’d like to point out that Johnny, Irene, Joy, and Yuta also just put their fingers down.” He took a large sip of his Franzia and realized it was almost gone. His head was definitely pleasantly swimming. 

“Lucas didn’t specify receiving,” said Irene.

The warm hand left his thigh and so did Jaehyun’s solid warmth against his side as Jaehyun stood and took Taeyong’s cup from his hand. He picked his way through the circle towards the kitchen. Taeyong munched on his toast instead. 

“Never have I ever… used a strap on?” said Donghyuck, squinting at Irene, who put another finger down, but so did Yeri and Joy. 

“We just have one,” Yeri giggled, “we pass it around.” 

Jungwoo sat up very straight. “Ew! Really??” 

“I’m joking! Christ, of course I have my own.” 

“Can I see it?” said Ten. She winked at him. 

Doyoung’s cheek pressed against Taeyong’s hair. “Feeling okay?” he murmured. His hands looped around Taeyong’s neck and settled against his chest. 

“Mm, yeah but I’m drunk.” 

“Cool.” 

Jaehyun dropped back into his seat and handed Taeyong his drink, which was a little fuller than he really wanted, but he got to dump out a bunch of it when Ten said “never have I ever been the SigMu president.” Jaehyun actually got back up and brought Taeyong the Red Lobster cup so he wouldn’t have to move, which was awesome, because Taeyong had his full weight leaning into Johnny’s side and his head back on Johnny’s arm and Doyoung on top of him. He felt about as mobile as a sack of potatoes. 

“There’s a bunch of people with only a couple fingers left!” Donghyuck screeched. “Let’s see if we can make this cup even nastier!” 

Johnny was the only one who had been to Coachella. Seulgi was the only one who had been to Russia. Doyoung was the only one who had swum naked in the school fountain. Taeil was the only one who had broken his arm in a fight. Taeyong got several people with “never have I ever dropped or failed a class.” 

“Never have I ever been on the receiving end of butt sex,” Lucas finally got to ask when it came back to him, and then grinned around the circle, and that was only Joy, Ten, and Taeyong. 

He felt like a slut again, publicly admitting to his raunchier sexual adventures while both his alphas boyfriends pressed up against him and Doyoung draped over him. It felt so good to have them all so close, but he must look so clingy and needy, like an omega. Or maybe he just looked drunk.

Next up was Donghyuck. “Joy is down to one finger,” he said, and squinted at her. “You’ve had a nesting buddy. So…Never have I ever been knotted?” 

Taeyong glanced over at Yuta to see if he’d be hurt of Taeyong lied, but he was watching Joy’s fingers instead. Better not take any chances. Taeyong quietly put his finger down, just as Joy held up her last finger and shrugged. “My nesting buddy was a girl, soz.” 

“I want everyone to know that Taeyong just put a finger down.” 

Taeyong forced his eyes the rest of the way open. Across the circle Donghyuck pointed at him. Beside him, Jaehyun stiffened up and Johnny pulled Taeyong tighter against his side. Doyoung’s hand slid into his hair. 

“What?” Ten sat up in his seat with a grin growing on his face. “Did that happen in the last thirty minutes too?” 

The circle made a general “ooooh” kind of noise. Taeyong sighed. Yeri said “Johnny?” 

Beside him Jaehyun clamped down on Taeyong’s thigh as he looked over the top of Taeyong’s head at Johnny. “Wait, when…?” he said right as Johnny said “did you guys…?” 

“Oh my god it wasn’t them!” Donghyuck dissolved into witch cackles. “Johnny and Jaehyun thought it was each other. It wasn’t them!” 

Ten slid all the way to the edge of his seat, looking absolutely thrilled. “Wait, what??” 

“Wasn’t me!” Shouted Taeil. 

“I really didn’t think I was going to be the only one.” Taeyong’s body was suddenly mobile again. He took a large chug of Franzia and sat up out of Johnny’s grip to look hopefully at Ten, who just shook his head. 

“Even I haven’t done that, what the hell? Who??” 

“WASN’T ME!!” Screamed Lucas. 

Mark patted his knee. “We know, bud,” 

Ten jerked in his seat like he’d had a revelation. “Was it Taemin??” 

“My big? What the fuck, of course not.” He drank more. Jaehyun’s hand felt so heavy on his thigh and so did Johnny’s hand on his back. Both of them were very quiet.

“Wait,” Wendy leaned into the circle with her eyes narrowed. “Was it Yuta?” 

Taeyong peeked over the top of his cup to see if see if he and Yuta were both cool with lying about this, only to find Yuta giving him the exact same look. 

“…”

Several different people jumped to their feet screaming. 

“IT WAS YUTA!” 

“OH MY GOD!” 

Ten fell right out of his chair with the biggest grin Taeyong had ever seen on his face. “YOU SAID IT WAS SOME JOCK AT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU LIED TO MY FACE!” 

“Hm,” said Johnny. 

Kun said “Was it when he was in rut last month?” 

The room went quiet again waiting for one of them to answer, which was probably answer enough, but Yuta still raised his eyebrows at Taeyong and shrugged. 

“I’ll go with whatever story you want,” he said, which was sweet of him, but Taeyong couldn’t think of any story that would make this any better, or any real reason to lie about it anymore. 

“Uh… Yeah, it was when—” 

“Wait!” Mark scooted forward. “In the fuck tent?” 

Yuta snorted. “Where else?” He sat back and sipped his own drink. 

“Were you his nesting buddy too?” 

“No no,” Taeyong was relieved he got to finally deny something, but at the same time Yuta said, “yup.” 

Taeyong’s heart skipped a little. “Wait, what?” 

The circle made more shocked noises. Jungwoo said “wait, how did you not know?” 

Yuta looked a little flustered for the first time. “I mean, it wasn’t like boyfriends, I’m not domestic when I nest. He just kept bringing me food and I was okay with him coming into my space to do that.” 

“And you, like,” Taeil grinned a little too wide, “wanted to fuck him real bad.” 

Jaehyun’s hand tightened even more. 

Yuta tucked his hair behind his ear and sat up. “Uh. Yeah that too.” 

On his other side, Johnny got stiffer. 

“That’s so cute,” Yeri giggled. “So when you went into rut you asked him to… help you out?” 

There was another weirdly telling pause. 

“He didn’t exactly ask.” 

This time both alphas stiffened. “Wait, what do you mean?” Johnny growled, and Taeyong realized how bad that sounded. 

“More like begged,” Yuta said quickly. 

“Yeah, haha. Anyway.” Taeyong gave Doyoung’s hand a tug and Doyoung released him, but he had to shake off both alphas so he could crawl forward to dump more Franzia into the mix. Images of Yuta on his hands and knees, pleading and sobbing, filling his head. “It was hot and we had a good time, end of story.” As he shuffled back to his seat, he saw Yuta let out a long breath and hide a soft smile behind the rim of his glass. 

Ten leaned forwards. “Does getting knotted hurt?” 

“No. I’m not talking about this anymore.” 

“Knotting doesn’t hurt with me,” Yuta said firmly. “Unless you want it to.” 

Taeil clicked his tongue. “Not big enough to hurt?” 

Yuta scoffed at him. “What are you, like, four-eight?” 

“Big doesn’t have to hurt.” said Johnny as he put an arm back over Taeyong’s shoulders. 

“Well this got weird.” Doyoung curled over Taeyong from behind and wrapped his arms back around his neck. “Next, please.” 

Joy lost on the next round, but Taeyong hadn’t heard the question. He glared down at the toast he didn’t want to eat anymore, suddenly too tired to cheer with everybody else. As the circle clapped and chanted ‘chug!” over and over again, Doyoung whispered in Taeyong’s ear. 

“You okay?” 

He nodded. “Just embarrassed.” 

Beside him, Johnny and Jaehyun laughed along, but they hadn’t joined in the chanting either, and across the circle Yuta got up to refill his drink and didn’t come back. Jaehyun got up to refill his too. Then Johnny. 

Doyoung whispered again. “Do you think we should…” 

“Yeah.” 

They stood, and so did a few other people as the drinking game dissolved. Taeyong realized he was drunk enough that he needed to hold on to Doyoung to feel stable and barfing was back on the agenda for the night. 

A pair of grabby hands latched onto Taeyong’s elbow. “So I don’t know if you saw,” said Ten, “but your boys were so jealous.” 

“Oh yeah?” He pulled Ten along with them towards the kitchen. 

“They glared at Yuta that whole time, and he totally did not give a fuck, which was hot.” 

In the kitchen, Yuta was still in the middle of not giving a fuck. He leaned against the counter, sipped his drink, and blinked evenly at both of Taeyong’s boyfriends. The boyfriends had their arms crossed and their shoulders squared, but from the doorway Taeyong could see Jaehyun’s profile and he didn’t look angry or anything. That pretty mouth of his looked a little pouty. Taeyong licked his lips. 

“No fighting,” Doyoung snapped as they approached. 

Johnny turned half around, and his face was definitely set in an aggressive frown. “We’re not,” he grumbled. 

“Nah, we’re not fighting,” said Yuta as he took another sip of his drink. “Dumb and dumber wanted to know how I convinced Taeyong to let me knot him.”

Johnny spun back around. “Hey, fuck you.” 

“That sounds really bad.” Jaehyun pouted harder. “Don’t say it like that.” 

Doyoung looped a protective arm around Taeyong’s waist just as Taeyong tried to go hug Jaehyun. “That does sound really bad.” 

Thankfully Jaehyun came to him. “Are you okay?” he asked in his deep soft voice as he came closer. Doyoung and Ten let Taeyong go so he could tuck himself against Jaehyun’s chest. He smelled so good.

“M’drunk.” He hid his tired eyes in Jaehyun’s neck. Jaehyun’s hugs always felt like a warm blanket.

“But I want to know too,” said Ten’s sharp voice. “He never even has regular sex. How did you convince him to let you knot him?” 

“Uh…” 

“Wasn’t that hard actually,” Taeyong grumbled, “he just—” 

A hand landed fast on his shoulder and Jaehyun growled. 

“Taeyong please don’t,” said Yuta, “it’s not a flattering story.” 

Taeyong peeked out to check, and the hand was in fact Yuta’s. Jaehyun’s growl faded when it came off again. Too bad. It was such a nice sound, especially Jaehyun’s, all low and smooth. Almost like purring but more powerful. 

“You don’t want him to tell us that bad?” The growl still rattled Jaehyun’s voice a little. “You think it’s something we’ll be mad about?” 

“Tch.” Yuta finally straightened up and squared his shoulders. “I don’t give a fuck if you two are mad, I could kick both your asses.” 

The last of Jaehyun’s growl died out completely. Johnny scoffed. Ten snickered and punched his shoulder.

“Shut the fuck up, John, everybody here knows he could. We’ve seen Yuta win every play fight the alphas have ever had in this frat.” 

“That’s true,” said Doyoung, “the one all three of you should be scared of is me.” Taeyong couldn’t see him, but he probably had his arms crossed and an angry frown on and he probably looked about as intimidating as a peeved rabbit. “Why the fuck are you asking Yuta for tricks? If you have questions about Taeyong’s sex life, you should be asking Taeyong.” 

“That’s not—” Jaehyun took a deep breath and his arms squeezed around Taeyong’s shoulders. “We just wanted to know if he liked it. Cuz, like, if he hated it, we’ll never bring it up again.” 

“Okay?” Ten had adopted Doyoung’s tone of voice. “You could still just ask him if he hated it.”

“We’re worried he’ll feel obligated to help us out even if he doesn’t want to,” said Johnny. 

“Oh my god.” Taeyong lifted his head out of Jaehyun’s neck so he could look back over his shoulder at Johnny which made his head spin like crazy. “How many times do I have to tell you guys I’m not a pushover? I don’t feel obligated to fuck anybody. It didn’t matter how much begging Yuta did, if I didn’t want to fuck him, I wouldn’t have.” On his way from glaring at Johnny’s sheepish face to Jaehyun’s, he caught sight of Yuta’s face and did a double take when he noticed that his mouth had popped open. “Yuta you know that right?” 

The mouth shut again, but his eyes didn’t get any less wide. “Y-yeah, of course.”

Taeyong wished for the hundredth time that they’d actually talked about what happened. Maybe Yuta felt like Taeyong only fucked him out of obligation. Maybe he was hurt that Taeyong always pretended like nothing happened. Yuta didn’t deserve that kind of neglect just because Taeyong felt awkward. He pushed gently away from Jaehyun and reached towards Yuta, but Jaehyun squeezed so tight around his shoulders that it hurt. 

“Yong, please do not hug him right now. Please.”

“Aww, he’s jealous,” Ten cooed. 

Regardless, Taeyong hadn’t seen Yuta look at him with so much openness since they were tangled up naked together the soft floor of Yuta’s tent. They should have been closer when it was over, not more distant. Taeyong relaxed back into Jaehyun’s chest, but he reached out a hand. Yuta smiled and took it. His hand felt just like Taeyong remembered, and when he stepped closer and rubbed his other hand over Taeyong’s lower back, that was comfortingly familiar too. 

A furious growl ripped out of Jaehyun’s throat and his fingers clawed into Taeyong’s shirt. Johnny growled too. “Yuta what the fuck?” Yuta’s hand vanished from Taeyong’s back. Johnny had probably grabbed him. “Why would you do that when Jaehyun’s—OOF!” 

Yuta’s other hand left too. Ten shrieked, Doyoung said “Oh jesus,” and both of them shuffled away as Yuta growled. There was some scuffling behind them, a few blunt sounds of impact, growls on both sides and a couple of yelps from Johnny, and then Yuta cheerfully said, “later guys,” and his musky vetiver, leather, and sex scent faded from the room. 

Ten huffed. “Well that was fun.” 

Doyoung groaned. “Alphas are exhausting.” 

Jaehyun’s grip hadn’t loosened at all. Taeyong was drunk, but he was pretty sure he could feel Jaehyun’s heart racing. His breath hissed high in his throat like he was trying not to whine. 

“Jaehyun, baby,” Taeyong whispered and nuzzled against his cheek. “Kiss me, Jay, come here.” 

Jaehyun lifted his head and smashed their lips together. He kissed deep and desperate with hands pawing at Taeyong’s hair and his back. One of the whines he’d been holding back slipped through. 

“Fuck,” Johnny hissed from behind him, voice shaking. “Fuck I can’t—g’night you guys.” 

He must have left. The others too, because Taeyong didn’t hear them again. He couldn’t focus on anything besides Jaehyun’s strong arms and hands and his demanding lips and tongue. They kissed until Taeyong was dizzy and half hard right there in the kitchen despite other shocked party guests, and they would have kissed longer if Taeyong hadn’t needed to stop to go throw up.


	7. Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That tag for non-graphic throwing up is very relevant this chapter. Just hungover frat boy stuff. I'm not trying to gross anybody out, its sugar-coated as much as possible.

At about eight in the morning, Taeyong saw Johnny pass the bathroom with a mug of coffee. Less than a minute later he came back and stuck his head through the door and blinked down at where Taeyong was wrapped in the green blanket and curled up on the spotless bathroom floor. 

“Hungover?”

“A little.” 

“You up for some coffee?” He lifted the mug. “It’s pour-over again.” 

“Hmm…” Taeyong’s stomach churned at the slightest wiff of coffee. “Maybe later…”

“Is there something else I could get you? Doyoung showed me where you keep your ginger tea.” 

“Oh yes please. And saltines.” 

It wasn’t long before Johnny got back, but Taeyong might have dozed for a minute or two. Johnny set a bowl of crackers on Taeyong’s knees and slid down the wall to sit on the floor next to him. “Did you sleep last night?”

“Not really.” 

“Aww, c’mere.” He put the mug down on the floor and pulled Taeyong sideways to sit between his thighs, blanket and crackers and all. The hoody he was wearing hadn’t been washed recently. His smoke, rich scent with its musky sex notes were stronger than usual. It was a lot for Taeyong’s poor stomach to handle, but cuddles were worth it. Johnny handed him the mug of ginger tea, and with that tucked under his nose, he was comfier than he’d been in hours. 

“What are you nesting plans for the day?” 

“Party prep and cleanup.” Johnny tapped a cracker against Taeyong’s bottom lip. “Last night we didn’t make too much mess. It shouldn’t take long.” 

“Mm…” Taeyong munched slowly on the cracker and took a cautious sip of tea to wash it down. It was the perfect temperature for drinking, though it had been steeped for a little too long. “Sorry about last night by the way.” 

“What? You’re fine. Why are you apologizing?” 

“For, like, I don’t know…” He took a deep breath to calm his stomach. “You got roughed up by Yuta and I didn’t even check if you were good. Then you left really quick when I started kissing Jaehyun.” 

Johnny poked his mouth with another cracker. “Don’t worry about that. It’s not easy to see my nesting buddy kissing another alpha, even if it’s Jaehyun, but as soon as I left the room, I was fine.” 

“Okay, that’s good.” Taeyong wiggled a little further down in Johnny’s lap so he could rest his head on his shoulder. “I was scared I’d ruined your night or something.” 

“Nah.” Johnny dropped a kiss on top of his head. “And all of us alphas in the house get punched by Yuta a lot, no big deal. He doesn’t punch anywhere we can’t take it.” His fingers pressed against Taeyong’s lips as he finished the cracker, and then he brushed a couple crumbs from the corner of his mouth. “The guy’s got the wildest instincts I’ve ever seen. But I guess you don’t need me to tell you that, since apparently you’re more intimately familiar with Yuta’s instincts than any of us.” He tapped the tip of Taeyong’s nose. 

If Johnny was going to tease him about it, he could tease back. “Yeah, s’pretty hot.”

Johnny laughed. “Is that what you like? Wild men?” He tipped Taeyong’s head back with a finger under his chin and looked down at him with soft brown eyes and his handsome lips quirked up on one side. Taeyong felt heat curl in his stomach, or maybe he just needed to barf again. The taste of bile still stuck around in his mouth from the last time, or he would have opened his lips and invited Johnny in. Instead, he tucked his chin back down to drink his tea. 

“I like it with him, it’d be weird with you.” 

“That’s probably true.” Johnny’s lips pressed to his hair and his hand rubbed his shoulder. “What would you like with me then?” 

This was a lot of flirting for first thing on a Saturday morning on the bathroom floor. Taeyong kept his mouth firmly on the rim of his cup and weighed his options. At this point Johnny knew he could take a knot, and Taeyong knew Johnny was hoping he would take his. They were just waiting on Taeyong to decide if they were going there. 

Who the fuck was he kidding? Maybe it was a deeply subconscious omega thing, maybe it was just Taeyong, but Taeyong knew what he liked. He put his mug back on the ground and grabbed Johnny’s tiddy. 

“Whoa.” Johnny’s hand landed on his hip and squeezed. “That’s very bold, Mr. President.” 

“Do you mind?” 

“Pff, no?” 

Taeyong slid his hand up and down Johnny’s gorgeous muscley chest a few times, and then let his fingers wander up to Johnny’s neck and then over his round, broad shoulder and down his thick arm. His fingertips mapped the contours of his muscles down to his forearm and back up into his t-shirt sleeve. “Hmm, what would l like with you?” 

“I could just get naked and you could feel me up.” His voice had gotten real soft and low.

“No, I want you to use these.” He dug his fingertips into Johnny’s tricep. 

“You want me to carry you around and pin you down?” 

“Yeah,” Taeyong gasped as Johnny’s big paw slid around to cup his ass. “And manhandle me into every position.” 

“I think I can make that happen.” He hauled Taeyong closer against his chest and dove for Taeyong’s lips. Taeyong puckered back but kept his mouth closed and held his breath until he could tip his head back where Johnny couldn’t reach. 

“I’ve been throwing up all night, babe.” 

“Oh shit, I forgot about that.” Johnny’s lips attached to his neck instead. They sucked and nipped down the column of his throat from right under his chin towards his collarbones, leaving a trail of tingling skin and shivers. Taeyong let out a low moan so Johnny could feel it under his lips. Johnny’s responding moan was so deep it was almost a growl. He picked a spot at the base of Taeyong’s throat and sucked hard. His hand was hot against Taeyong’s ass through the blankets. Taeyong’s cock jumped in his pants, and noticed a shape beginning to grow against his hip in Johnny’s pants when all of a sudden his stomach heaved. 

“Mmmph!” Taeyong clamped a hand over his mouth and thrashed. Johnny surged up off the floor and Taeyong found himself on his feet, halfway through the door of the second stall. He just barely made it over the toilet before a few sips of ginger tea and a single cracker made its way back up. 

“Well that’s a mood kill,” Johnny grumbled as he pet Taeyong’s back. “You wanna try Pepto Bismol? Ginger candy? Toast? Ginger ale?” 

“Gguhh…” 

“I think I have enough leftover pork to make you a killer hangover cure omelet if you think that would help. There’s some bacon grease for hash browns.”

Taeyong heaved again. “No thanks,” he gasped. “I-I’ll just have more saltines. And a shower. Fuck. I feel disgusting.” 

“Aww.” Johnny’s broad chest flattened against his back and his arms circled around Taeyong’s chest. It was warm and secure. The trembling that had started in Taeyong’s hands disappeared. 

Taeyong tipped his head back to press against Johnny’s hair. “Thanks, John.” 

“No problem.” He dropped a couple kisses on Taeyong’s shoulder. “Thank you.” 

“For what? Barfing?” 

“Ha, no.” Johnny reached up and flushed the toilet before flattening his hand over Taeyong’s stomach to rub gently. “Jaehyun and I are really lucky to have you this cycle. Like, it’s amazing enough that you actually help us clean and cook and fix shit. I don’t think I’ve ever even had any real girlfriends that participate so much when I nest. It already makes nesting so much less frustrating.” He paused and sucked a hot little kiss against the nape of Taeyong’s neck. “But the way you’re really going along with the boyfriend thing is a game changer.” 

“Yeah?” Taeyong reached up and carded his fingers through Johnny’s soft hair. He got a happy hum in response. 

“Yeah. This is the first cycle I’ve ever had were it feels like all my instincts are actually getting satisfied and it’s awesome.” 

Affection filled Taeyong’s chest like a warm balloon. He laced his fingers with Johnny’s against his stomach and squeezed. “You know I love you guys. I’m just glad I can help.”

A door downstairs banged open. Taeyong wracked his brain for who the heck might be up at eight in the morning on a Saturday as feet pounded up the stairs, and then somebody skidded into the next stall and graphically deposited the contents of their own stomach into the next toilet over. 

“Aw, Mark,” Johnny gave Taeyong one last squeeze and then climbed off his back to go check on his little instead. “I told you not to do the jaeger bombs.” 

“Huuuughh,” said Mark, “please don’t say…” he spat into the toilet, “don’t mention jaeger bombs.” 

“Just be glad he’s not talking about his bacon grease hangover cure.” Taeyong wiped his mouth off with some toilet paper as Mark gagged again. 

“Mom…” he groaned. Taeyong stood and flushed. 

“I’m coming, Mark. Do you feel better?” 

“No…” 

For the moment, Taeyong’s stomach was mostly settled. He took the opportunity to shove a few more crackers in his mouth and choke them down with the rest of his tea. In the background Johnny cooed at his poor little and rubbed his back. “You ever been hungover before, Markie?” 

“You think I’m a fucking freshman or something? S’not my first rodeo.” 

“Johnny, haven’t you taken care of him while he was drunk barfing before?” Taeyong gave Johnny’s hoody a little tug. Johnny backed out of the stall to give Taeyong room.

“I’ve watched Mark hack over a toilet many-a-time, but usually it’s while he’s still drunk, not the morning after.” 

“S’the fuckin pink shit,” Mark groaned. “I only get hangover with sweet drinks.” 

Poor Mark shook like a leaf over the toilet in his boxers and a too-small t-shirt. Taeyong shrugged off his blanket and draped it over Mark’s back instead. “Maybe that’s why I’m still in here too.” 

“You didn’t sleep in here, did you?” 

“I mean I didn’t really sleep, first of all,” Taeyong flushed the toilet for him and then squatted behind him to take over back rubs, “but Jaehyun didn’t let me stay in here all night. I spent part of the night in my bed hugging a trash can.” 

Johnny huffed from the stall door. “So no Franzia tonight.” 

“Yeah, we’ll stick to shots and White Claw, right Mark?” 

“Please stop talking about drinks.” 

“Sorry Markie, we’ll stop.” He turned around to look at Johnny, who was leaning way into the stall like he needed something to do. “Can you make more ginger tea for me and Mark, please? And bring us both water bottles too? And maybe write ‘s’the fuckin pink shit’ on the Franzia box if there’s any left?” 

“Don’t like tea,” Mark groaned, but Johnny was already bouncing off to complete his new tasks. 

“It’s not actually tea. Tea has to come from the tea plant. It’s just a ginger drink. It helps with nausea.” 

The bathroom floor was a lot less comfy when the green blanket was around somebody else, but no comfort was as nice as being able to take care of his brothers. Taeyong dabbed Mark’s face clean after one more round of heaving before Johnny dropped off the water bottles and left again. Then he got to pop open Mark’s water and pass it to him between crackers. Mark leaned back against him and closed his eyes. Taeyong braced his shoulder on the stall so Mark’s weight wouldn’t knock him over. 

“Feeling better?” 

Mark groaned. “Like, a little.” 

“That’s a good start.” 

“Yo, aren’t you sick too? Let me know if we ever need to like switch places.” 

It wouldn’t be the first time Taeyong had multitasked back rubbing and barfing, but this time everybody could have their very own stall, thank god. “I think I’m done actually, but I appreciate it.”

“I have the tea.” Johnny hovered over them and passed two mugs into Taeyong’s waiting hands. “I put ice in it so it’s cool enough to drink.” 

“Awesome.” Taeyong lifted the mug to Mark’s mouth and tipped it even when he squeaked in alarm. Mark was a good boy. He opened his mouth and drank. 

“That’s not so bad, right?” 

“S’really strong,” Mark groaned. It was very possible that Johnny had over-steeped it again. He took a little sip of his own, but it was actually pretty much perfect. 

“It’s not too strong, it’s just ginger. It’ll help. trust me.” He shoved it back in Mark’s face before he could argue. 

“You probably don’t have to force him to drink, babe, he’s not Donghyuck.” 

That was a good point. A lot of Taeyong’s hangover care techniques were made specifically to drag Donghyuck kicking and screaming back to the realm of the living. Mark usually preferred feeling better over dramatics so he was a lot more cooperative. 

“Will you drink this, Mark?” 

“I’ll… force it down I guess…” He took the mug and winced around a tiny sip. 

“Thanks.” Taeyong kissed him on the head. “Johnny, can you take over? I should really shower. Right Mark?” 

“Yeah you don’t smell great.” 

He got another kiss on the head for that. “Feel better, Markie.” 

Johnny, bless him, grabbed Taeyong under the armpits and hauled him to his feet so Taeyong didn’t have to claw his way up the wall in the narrow stall. 

“My turn!” 

Mark whipped half around as Johnny dropped down behind him. “Wait. Taeyong don’t let him—ah!” He scrambled for a hold on the toilet bowl as Johnny dragged him into his lap and squeezed him like he was a teddy bear. 

“Mmm, little,” he purred. 

“Johnny what the actual fuck are you ohfuckohfuck!!” 

Taeyong left the bathroom with the sounds of the tea coming back up behind him, and Johnny’s soft cooing. When he returned with his shower stuff and his towel, Mark was snuggled peacefully in Johnny’s lap, all wrapped up in the green blanket, with his head on Johnny’s shoulder with his eyes closed. He didn’t see Taeyong make eye contact with Johnny as he kicked off his sweatpants, or the way his big’s eyes swept up and down Taeyong’s bare legs, before Taeyong stepped out of sight and got the shower running. 

“So what’s your major?” Taeyong asked the tenth boy in a row. The boy, who was inconveniently the third potential new member that Taeyong had spoken to that night named jaehyun, sipped his drink and looked over Taeyong’s shoulder and down to the floor and finally back up to his face but only made it as far as his chin. He had on a university t-shirt and jeans and Nike slides. An alarming number of the strange boys that packed into the living room with solo cup were dressed like this, contrasting sharply with all the SigMu brother’s slacks and collars, and Irene and gang’s elegant skirts and blouses. 

“Uh… econ. I wanna do finance.” 

“Nice, we have a great program.” 

The third jaehyun nodded and drank more. “Yeah, s’good.” He looked back at the floor. The real Jaehyun’s weight pressed into Taeyong as he peaked over his shoulder to check the floor too. There was nothing there of course, not when Jaehyun had spent an hour mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming the whole place after lunch. His fingers dug into the small of Taeyong’s back as his fist clenched a little in Taeyong’s shirt. Taeyong hoped there weren’t any potential new members looking too closely behind them, though if there were guys who were put off by physical affection between frat brothers, they probably weren’t a good fit anyway. Still, it wouldn’t be good to chase anybody off at this stage. 

“Are you having a good semester?” 

The third jaehyun shrugged. “It’s a little boring.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Why’s that?” 

Shrug. “Not enough parties.” 

“Ah.” Taeyong looked around for the previous new jaehyun. He’d kind of liked him, but jaehyun number two was currently busy squinting into their fridge. Taeyong narrowed his eyes. 

They were saved by Johnny, who strode through the house in long strides and hopped up on the couch to bang some metal tongs against a sheet pan. 

“Hey everybody! Welcome to the SigMu house. I’m Johnny, the vice president of recruitment, so you’ll be seeing a lot of me. The grill is ready to go. If you want a hot dog or a burger, please head out back.” 

He hopped back down. Taeyong turned to jaehyun number three to see if he was interested in food, but Jaehyun three’s Nike slides were already headed at top speed towards the back door.   
“Christ no thanks,” the real Jaehyun grumbled. “Can we make a new rule? Nobody else named jaehyun?” He scanned the party, and then his face jerked back towards the kitchen. “Speaking of.” He stomped towards fridge invader jaehyun number two. 

“Be a good host!” Taeyong called after him, which he probably didn’t need, but territorial alpha instincts being what they were, Taeyong figured a friendly reminder wouldn’t hurt. 

A lot of the party headed towards the back door, which left a room full of smart boys and brothers who had decided to wait past the initial rush. The ladies stuck around too. Irene and gang had brought lots of their cutest friends, all of them classy and dolled up. Taeyong took a break from new boys to join Seulgi and a very pretty girl with sparkles under her eyes by the keg.

“Hey, thanks for coming.” He gave her shoulders a little half hug. She squeezed his waist back. 

“Thanks for inviting us! I hope we can help you get some good pledges. This is Chungha.” The pretty girl waved her pointy acrylics at him, and the light caught the glitter under her eyes when she smiled. 

“Hi, I’m Taeyong. You’re the president of Iota, right?” 

“That’s right. I was our VP of recruitment last year.” 

“Oh nice! Did you do informal?” 

She nodded. “You guys obviously have a very different process from us but you’re looking for the same things. Honestly, I wish we did informal with an open-door party like this. It’s nice to get a feel for all your Potential New Members in the context of the whole organization before you start seriously thinking about bids.” 

“Yeah, it was Mark’s idea. I hope it pays off.” He glanced nervously around at the awkward groups of underclassmen huddling around and swirling their solo cups. It was a good turnout, but Taeyong was beginning to think they should have just picked a few boys around campus to personally invite. Lots of boys didn’t mean much when none of them were SigMu material. 

Fortunately, Ten seemed very engaged in his conversation and Kun was nodding along to a couple nice looking guys while Lucas giggled. By the stairs, Yuta threw his head back and laughed along with a little group of guys in button-ups. That looked promising. 

“So you’re basically an expert, what do you think so far?” 

She pursed her lips and squinted around. “Right now it’s really easy to tell who the brothers are and who the Potential New Members are.” 

Taeyong followed her sweep. It was true. Taeyong had joined the frat because it was full of fascinating people. The brothers now were all just as amazing as the ones he’d wanted to join freshman year. Around the room, the SigMus carried themselves with dignity, poise, and a touch of mischief that set them apart from the awkward huddles of PNMs. “They don’t fit?” 

“I think most of the sorority women on this campus would agree with me, that it takes special guys to fit here. Any frat should be envious of SigMu’s reputation. I think your PNMs know that.” She nodded at the busy living room. “That’s why so many showed up. It’s like twenty or so? That’s a lot for an optional informal rush event.” 

A little anxiety lifted off Taeyong’s shoulders. He gave her the warmest smile he had. “Thank you. That really means a lot, especially coming from the president of Iota.” 

She beamed back, but before the conversation could continue, a familiar, musky scent like leather and vetiver washed over Taeyong, and Yuta’s arm landed on his shoulders. “Hey Mr. President. Just got done talking with three of the PNMs,” he said, grinning. 

“Nice! Are they candidates?” Taeyong looked hopefully over their shoulders at the three nice looking dudes who Yuta had been getting on so well with. 

“Fuck no,” Yuta grinned wider, “they’re assholes.” 

“What? It looked like you had a good conversation going.” 

He wiggled his eyebrows. “They thought so. If you pretend to be an asshole too, they show their true colors.” 

“Oh. Yuta.” He gave him a gentle shove. And he’d said that right in front of Chungha after she had praised their reputation. “We’re not trying to entrap anybody, christ. There are better ways to find good guys than pretending to be an asshole in front of PNMs.” 

Yuta shrugged. “All I did was laugh along, they just kept going. I mean, I think it’s good to find out now that they’ll make jokes about the length of Yeri’s skirt to impress an alpha, don’t you?”

Seulgi whipped around and Chungha popped up on her toes to look over Yuta’s shoulder. They both narrowed her eyes at the boys. “Which one?” 

“All of them.” 

“What was the joke?” 

“They think it’s weird that a girl would wear such a long skirt into a frat house. I’ll spare you the details.” 

She nodded. “Mind getting me their names?” 

Yuta gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll check the signup sheet and get back to you.” 

All the anxiety was back. Taeyong heaved a sigh. “Good point, I guess. Just. Please be good, okay?” 

“Yup! No problem.” He gave Taeyong a friendly pat between the shoulders. A low growl erupted behind them. Taeyong and both girls jumped. The growl cut off again just as fast, and when Taeyong turned around he found the real Jaehyun there, looking dashingly handsome in his expensive black t-shirt and tan blazer, running his hands aggressively through his hair. 

“Yuta, come on man. Can you please just, like, not touch him this week?” 

“Oh, my bad dude,” Yuta giggled and put both hands up. “I forgot.” 

“Thanks,” Jaehyun grumbled, and then nuzzled hard into Taeyong’s neck from behind and squeezed his waist. He huffed out a long sigh. Many of the boys from out back had started to trickle back in with their plates. It was a good think Taeyong wasn’t nauseous at the moment, but that might change.

“How are we doing, Jay?” 

“Ugh.” 

Taeyong carded his fingers through Jaehyun’s fluffy hair, brushing it back into place. 

“You two may want to keep that to a minimum,” said Yuta over Seulgi’s cooing. “Guys don’t join a frat where they think the brothers are all fucking each other. That’s big messy reality TV energy.” 

That was true, Taeyong wouldn’t have joined if he’d seen anything sexy going on at recruitment parties, not only because he was just looking for brotherhood, but also out of fear of sexual hazing. Plus, snuggling with each other when they were supposed to be getting to know PNMs just wasn’t classy, and they wanted boys who valued that kind of thing. “He’s got a point, Jaehyun.” 

Another deep sigh seeped warmly into Taeyong’s collar, but Jaehyun did pull back. He dragged his hand through his hair again. “Where the fuck is Mark? I haven’t seen him all night.” 

“Donghyuck is missing too.” Taeyong’s watch said it was seven forty. If they were more than an hour late, Taeyong would have to mark them down as absent from a mandatory event, and that would mean disciplinary action.

“They were supposed to bring a couple of their friends.” 

“Yeah, I was excited to meet them.” Taeyong scanned the room for any sign of their youngest brothers and the perfect future SigMu pledges they’d promised, but the place was definitely too quiet to have Donghyuck in it. Jaehyun’s hand curled around his hip and gripped a little too tight. “We need to get back to work, you guys. Especially since we’re short two brothers.” 

Yuta tipped up his glass and chugged the rest. “On it, boss.” He spun on his heel and headed for a couple of underdressed dudes with burgers and buzz cuts. “I really wish Dejun and Sicheng and the others weren’t abroad. They’d be great recruiters.”

Jaehyun nodded. “This would be easier with everybody.” 

There was a tall kid by himself over by the couch, munching on a hot dog and staring around through his lashes. Taeyong began to make his way over, but he stopped when he realized Jaehyun was still right behind him. 

“Jay, could you talk to the guy with the glasses by the stairs?” 

Jaehyun pursed his lips and the dimples popped out. His ears turned pink. “I think I need to stick with you for now.” 

Without Mark and Donghyuck, they had exactly ten guys to keep twenty or so PNMs entertained. Ideally, they would have every PNM interacting with at least one brother during every minute of the whole night. But he could see the way Jaehyun’s fists were clenched in his pockets, and his mouth was set in a rare frown. 

“Yeah, okay. Stick with me.” 

“Thanks, babe.” 

The guy by the couch had made an effort to look presentable, which was a good first step. He had also bothered to pick up a napkin at the food tables. He was… at least as tall as Johnny, which Taeyong didn’t appreciate, but those were just details. 

“Hey! Welcome, I’m Taeyong.” He stuck out a hand, and the boy jumped a little and then wiped his hand off on his khakis real fast before taking Taeyong’s. 

“H-hi, thanks! I like you guy’s house.” He gave him a firm handshake and a big grin, and dimples sank into his cheeks, just like Jaehyun’s. “I’m Soobin.” He flashed them his nametag. 

“Nice to meet you, Soobin. I’m Taeyong, I’m the president. This is Jaehyun.” 

Jaehyun gave him a good handshake too, and one of his most handsome smiles. 

“Oh hey, we match!” Soobin giggled and poked his own dimples and then blinked down at his plate and turned red. 

“You’re right, we do.” Jaehyun laughed too. He stepped up beside Taeyong instead of half behind him. “What’s your major?” 

“It’s vocal performance. Oh, there’s my friends! They were getting food.” He waved over Taeyong’s head at four more egregiously tall guys wandering through the back door. Taeyong blinked in surprise. 

“Oh wait, you guys are all music majors, right? I’ve seen you around the music building.” 

One of them had Jungwoo totally charmed, Taeyong could tell by the way Jungwoo’s big grin and the way his head bobbed around as he talked that they were already in the silly voices phase. “Yeah, we are. Wait, are you?” 

“I am, yeah. Isn’t that Choi Yeonjun?” That was the sophomore class’s top production major. He was supposed to be good at everything. 

When their little group arrived at Soobin’s side, they all introduced themselves politely and gave good handshakes. Jungwoo excused himself with some animated chirping to go talk to some other guys, but he looked regretful. Finally, top quality boys who might fit in with the frat. Taeyong let himself relax, and beside him Jaehyun’s shoulders lost some of their tension. 

“How’s the food?” He nodded at the cheap hot dog on Soobin’s plate.   
“It’s awesome! I’m seriously so excited you guys had food, before I came I was too nervous to eat, so this is amazing.” He took a great big bite and his eyes crinkled up cutely. “But like, I totally shouldn’t have been nervous. You guys are so nice. The Beta Tau Sigma guys were really nice too, but they can be kinda intimidating, you know? And they didn’t have food.” 

Taeyong’s stomach jolted. “Beta Tau Sigma? Are they doing fall rush too?” He’d completely forgotten about them. They weren’t part of the IFC, so he didn’t necessarily know their recruitment plans. 

“Yeah, they had their first party last week.”

“O-oh, that’s great. They’re a great organization. Even if they don’t have food.” He nodded down at his cup. “Um. I need to go talk to the cook for a second. Please excuse me.” Jaehyun looked like he’d be fine on his own. He was more relaxed than he had all night, with his full attention on a couple of Soobin’s friends. Taeyong ran into Taeil on the way out of the kitchen and caught his shoulders. 

“Are you busy right now?” 

“No?” Taeil blinked at him. “You good, Mr. President?” 

“Yeah! Um.” He nodded aggressively towards the couch. “Please go help Jaehyun entertain those five. Top priority. We need your irresistible charm.” 

“My what?” Taeil put a hand over his heart and grinned widely. 

“Just go work your magic, okay?” 

“Ooh, Taeyong,” he stumbled off towards Soobin’s group, patting his own cheeks. “I need to come find you when I start nesting too.” 

Out back, Johnny had his game face on between toothy customer service grins as he flipped burgers and rotated hotdogs at record speed despite the very short line of a couple brothers and ladies finally getting their food. There was a different Bluetooth speaker out here, playing some ambient hip hop at a respectable volume. Johnny caught sight of Taeyong and waved his tongs. “Honey, I’m going to need more ketchup.” 

“Got it, babe. Hey listen.” He tucked himself right up against Johnny’s shoulder so he could speak quietly. “I’ve got good news and bad news.” 

Johnny stopped flipping and raised his eyebrows. “Did my kids ever show up with their friends?” 

“…No.” 

Johnny’s jaw twitched and he reached for his phone. “I’m not giving their friends bids if they can’t show up on time.” 

“That’s okay because we found five really good guys, that’s the good news. Jaehyun and Taeil are chatting with them right now.” 

Johnny nodded. “Nice. Those two are good recruiters. Was it the five tall guys? They were really polite.” 

“Yes, it was them.” Taeyong bounced on his heels, already imagining who their bigs were going to be. Soobin might be a good match for Taeil. And Huening Kai might go well with Donghyuck. Yeonjun would have been a good match for Taeyong, but since Taeyong wasn’t taking a little, maybe Mark? 

“But here’s the bad news.” 

“The bad news isn’t that my kids still haven’t shown up?” He showed Taeyong a group chat that consisted of only Johnny’s blue bubbles asking Mark and Donghyuck where the fuck they were. 

“No, actually. Uh. Did you know BTS has is doing fall rush too?” 

Johnny jolted. The phone flew right out of his hand. Taeyong gasped as it dove towards the hot coals, and then gasped louder when Johnny slammed his hand right down onto the grill to grab it, but he was wearing some thick ass gloves and got it out of there fast. 

“Oh my god.” Taeyong pressed a hand to his hammering heart and stumbled back to lean heavily on a lurid green Adirondack chair. 

“Are you serious?” Johnny blew ashes off his phone and sighed in relief when it turned on. “Fuck, I melted my case a little. Aren’t you supposed to know this kind of thing, Mr. IFC President?”

“They’re technically a music frat, Johnny, they’re not part of the IFC. Still, I thought they’d let us know.”

“Fuck.” Johnny looked fast over his shoulder to make sure there weren’t any new guys listening to him swear, but any new guys still outside were chatting with each other on the porch. “Those are great guys.” 

“Yeah. We gotta really impress them. They said BTS didn’t have food.” 

“Nice. Good.” He picked up his tongs again and put some burgers on a nearby tray. Taeyong stared down into the deep, wide seat of the Adirondack chair and imagined curling up there for a while, closing his eyes, letting the cool October air lull him to sleep. Instead he made his legs move. “I’m going to head back inside.” 

“Go charm those tall guys. And don’t forget my ketchup.” 

“Right, right.” He hauled himself back up the stairs and gave the group on the porch a friendly nod. 

Halfway to the kitchen, the front door burst open, and Taeyong caught sight of Mark’s scrunched up face and Donghyuck’s wide eyes, and then both of them got shoved to the side as a small army of grinning boys piled in after them. Mark tumbled into the coat rack and it banged against the wall. Taeyong glanced at his watch. Seven fifty-seven. 

“Chenle!!” Joy rushed at the group. One of Mark’s friends skipped over to another group of PNMs with a loud cheer. Taeyong blinked at the mayhem pouring in through the front door. It looked like Mark and Donghyuck had brought five boys, and judging by the noise level, they were just as rowdy as Donghyuck. Soobin and friends looked curious, not necessarily alarmed yet. Taeyong heaved a deep sigh and entered the kitchen. The only thing he could do was finish his chore and get back to the tall boys as fast as he could in case he needed to do damage control. The last thing he needed was six Donghyucks and a Mark scaring them back to BTS. 

While his head was in the fridge, somebody turned the music up, and he sat there and blinked hard at the condiments shelf as Kid Cudi of all things blasted in the living room. 

Something touched his back. He jumped hard. 

“What are you looking for?” The real Jaehyun pet gently down Taeyong’s spine. 

“New ketchup.” 

Jaehyun popped open the closest cabinet and grabbed a new ketchup bottle from the shelf that was specifically designated for condiments that hadn’t been opened yet. Taeyong closed his eyes and bonked his forehead against the freezer. 

“Is the party over yet?” 

“Hm? No, it seems to just getting started actually. I think those tall guys we found are the ones, but the guys Mark and Hyuck brought seem fun too.” He yanked a hand through his hair again and pursed his lips. 

Yeonjun, Donghyuck, one of the new jaehyuns, and two of Mark and Hyuck’s friends piled into this kitchen waving a handle of vodka around. It looked like Yeonjun was still having fun, thank goodness.

“Yo, Taeyong and Jaehyun!” Donghyuck grabbed his two friends and steered them towards the fridge. Taeyong carefully shut the door before they could let any more cold out. “This is Renjun,” he pushed forward a petite little man with rosy cheeks who was giggling way too much to be sober, “and Jaemin.” This one had a pretty face and pink hair. 

Taeyong offered a hand. “Hi, I’m—” 

“WHOAA, yo I’m Jaemin, wow, so nice to meet you, wow.” He grabbed Taeyong’s hand with both of his and rubbed instead of shaking. 

“Donghyuck and Mark talk about you guys all the time!” Renjun said with an arm looped around Donghyuck’s neck. Donghyuck made an odd hissing noise. “It’s so cool to finally meet you. We’re actually so excited to be here.” 

“Yeah, we really really wanna join.” Jaemin continued to rub Taeyong’s hand and didn’t stop. 

“I-I’m glad to hear it.” 

“Wow.” Jaemin looked back and forth between them with a big smile growing on his face. “Wow, you guys are so handsome. How did Hyuck get in?” 

“Ohmygod Jaemin please be cool,” Donghyuck hissed. 

“Wow what is this song? Its good.”

There was nothing like kids not knowing Kid Cudi to make Taeyong feel old. He leaned back against Jaehyun’s shoulder and sighed as Donghyuck turned his pleading eyes to the heavens. “Jaemin, seriously.”

Jaemin whirled right around and gave him the most shameless pout Taeyong had ever seen, and Taeyong had seen Jungwoo try to bum weed from Yuta. Jaemin’s pout had fluttery eyelashes and a cute little hmph! with a shoulder movement and everything. Jaehyun let out a soft laugh and then flinched and grabbed Taeyong’s shoulder when several dishes clattered out of a cabinet across the kitchen. 

“Donghyuck,” Taeyong said, a little more sharply than he meant. Donghyuck snapped to attention, frowning. 

“Yong, listen, I’m really sorry we’re late.” He stepped in close and spoke under his breath, eyes as wide and sparkly, lips as pouty Jaemin’s. “Mark and I drink with them before SigMu mixers sometimes, so they thought it was a good idea to pregame for this. We wanted them to sober up a little before we got here.” 

“It’s okay!” Taeyong couldn’t resist giving Donghyuck a pat on the head. “It’s not a formal rush event, it’s just a party. We’re all drinking here too.” 

Donghyuck’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh. Then why are there so many lights on? And the music was so quiet when we got here, it just looked really formal.” 

“Well I mean it’s still recruitment. We have to meet the guys. Here.” He slapped the ketchup into Donghyuck’s hand. “Go take this to your dad. If you guys want the party to go in a more festive direction, I’m fine with it, but it’s his decision.” 

“I mean I just think the PNMs are going to be more likely to come back if they have a lot of fun.” 

“Take it up with him.” 

Donghyuck nodded. “He’s out back, right?” 

“Yup.” 

Donghyuck grabbed his friend’s shoulders. “Come on guys, let’s go meet Mark and Jaehyun’s big. He has food.” 

Renjun lit up. “The Johnny guy? Do we get to see you get scolded by your frat dad?”

“Yeah probably.” 

As soon as they left, Mark scurried into the kitchen with the tallest of his friends and began filling solo cups with water in the sink. “Hey Yong, some of the PNMs were asking about the pong room so I’m starting a game, is that cool? Oh, this is Jisung.” 

“Ah. Hi.” The boy gave them a nervous wave and looked between them and Mark like he was waiting further instructions, but Mark was focused on his cups. 

“Yo Jisung can you, like, take some of these, dude?” 

“Ah yes.” He scrambled to take a handful of cups without realizing they all had an inch of water in the bottoms and yelped and jumped when they splashed on him. 

“Here, let me…” Jaehyun hurried over and took some out of Jisung’s hands and some out of Mark’s.

“O-oh thanks.” He followed Jaehyun out of the room. Mark stopped by Taeyong on his way after them. “Yeah so that’s Jisung. He’s, like, a really good dancer and a super sweet kid, I’m really so sorry they’re all drunk, and I’m so sorry we’re late.” His eyes gleamed. 

“Mark, it’s fine. I’m just glad you and your friends made it.” 

He breathed a big sigh of relief. “Thanks, bro. I hope this doesn’t hurt their chances. They really want in.” 

An uncharitable part of Taeyong’s brain wondered how bad they really wanted it if they showed up to their first recruitment event wasted, but he tucked it away. “No worries. They seem like strong candidates, and soon everybody is going to be drunk anyway.” He nodded at where Yeonjun, a new jaehyun, and a couple of the ladies’ friends were chugging beer.

“Okay, good point.” He relaxed a little. “We have five spaces, right? And five of them. It would be perfect.” 

“That’s… true…” He glanced at Yeonjun, so talented and charming, who had won the chugging contest and was now holding a paper towel under one of the girl’s chins so she wouldn’t get beer on her dress. “But you gotta remember that we can’t give your friends priority just because they’re your friends. There are a lot of great guys here tonight.” 

“O-oh.” Marks shoulders sank and his lips went all pouty. 

“Hey, don’t worry. Even if they don’t get the spot this time, they’ll have a head start for formal recruitment in a few months.” But if they didn’t get the tall boys now, they would be in BTS by then. 

“Yeah, that’s true.” He huffed and got rid of the pout, thank god. 

“Go meet some PNMs in the pong room, okay? Make us look good like you always do.” 

That finally got a smile out of him. “Aw, thanks mom. I will.” He left. Taeyong made it as far as the door, already scanning for Soobin’s head above the crowd, when Ten breezed past him and dragged him back into the kitchen. He’d lost his blazer and dispensed with a couple shirt buttons as well. 

“This party is finally getting started, babe. The dance floor is on fire in there. You need a drink.” 

“I-I really shouldn’t—” a solo cup smashed into his hand and ten pulled the handle of vodka out of the middle of the beer chugging party. It splashed into Taeyong’s cup, two glugs, followed swiftly by warm ginger ale. 

“Yong you look so stressed, and that’s not a good look on a host, believe me.” He passed the handle back to Yeonjun with a giggle and some kind of pithy little exchange that Taeyong missed because he was watching the bubbles in his cup. “Listen, Taeyong.” Taeyong looked back up into Ten’s face but mostly just thought about the green blanket and his pillow. “Kun, Doyoung, Taeil, Jungwoo, and I are all staying sober to keep an eye on things. That’s more than enough. You have a drink and go have fun with the PNMs.” 

“Really? All five of you are staying sober?” 

“Yup!” He grinned and put his hands on his hips. “And as the SigMu risk manager, I will be staying in here and monitoring everybody’s alcohol consumption.” 

Taeyong let out a deep breath. “You guys are the best. Okay.” He took a sip of his new drink. “Oh that’s kinda strong.” 

“Better drink it slow, hun. Now please go party it up with those five tall guys. They’re so nice. I want them.” 

“Me too. Yeah, I’m going to go do that.” 

The living room lights blinked off as he walked in, but all the party lights were on and a couple of lamps. It looked like Lucas had started a whole Smash tournament. He and Joy and a group of PNMs were making a lot of noise on the couch, which was squashed right up to the TV to make room for a little dance floor where Seulgi was busting a move. If that didn’t get them all the pledges they could ever want, he didn’t know what would. 

At the edge of the dance floor, the last of Mark and Hyuck’s friends had Doyoung completely starstruck. He was giving them the look he gave Mark when Mark stopped playing video games to help Doyoung do dishes. 

But they would have to wait because Taeyong spotted Soobin’s smiley head over the top of the crowd. Taeyong made a b-line for where he and Huening Kai towered over Taeil. 

“You’re back!” Soobin gave him a big grin and raised his cup for a toast. “This turned into a party so fast!” 

“Yeah, the house is pretty much set up to go into party mode at a moment’s notice.” 

“Cool!” Soobin took a big sip of his drink and grinned around at their party lights and their group gaming setup and the loud cheering from the pong room. “I kinda want to play pong, actually.” 

“Yeah, lets go. That table is big enough to get two games going at once.” 

It was okay that Soobin was crap at beer pong, because he was cute about it. He giggled a lot when he missed. Taeyong tried his best to carry them but it got more difficult with every drink he had to take when Taeil sunk a cup. They had almost lost when Taeyong tipped his cup and found that it was empty. “Oh no!” 

“What’s wrong?!” Soobin grabbed his shoulder and searched him up and down for the problem. 

“My drink is gone.” 

“Oh no!” Soobin bust into more giggles. “I’ll share until we lose.” 

That didn’t take long, but it was long enough for Taeyong to drink more than he should have from Soobin’s weirdly strong drink. He would have felt bad about taking so much but Soobin didn’t need it either. They stumbled off to find more alcohol with hands gripping each other’s arms so they didn’t fall down. While Taeyong was in the pong room, the house had filled more. It looked like a large wandering group of drunk sorority girls had found their way inside, and some of dudes from the frat next door. Kun had dug up a second keg from somewhere. 

“Hey Kun.” Taeyong set his head down on Kun’s shoulder so he could close his eyes for just a minute while Kun filled Soobin’s cup. His head spun like a top. “Hey Kun.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Have you seen the real Jaehyun?” 

“Donghyuck kept trying to convince him to do a keg stand to impress the PNMs, but I think he said he needed a minute and went upstairs.” 

“Oh.” He held out his cup for beer. Kun took it out of his hand and set it aside. 

“There are White Claws in Mark and Donghyuck’s fridge.” 

“Thanks, Kun.” He forced himself up off Kun’s shoulder. Mark’s minifridge felt so far away. Taeyong braced a hand on the wall and began the journey. 

The door was unlocked. Taeyong stumbled inside. “Wow, so many people.” Donghyuck grinned at him from the floor next to one of Soobin’s friends whose name started with a B, Yeri, Renjun, and some kid who was probably named jaehyun. “Somebody said you got White Claw?”

“Hey Mr. President! This turned into a fucking rager, holy shit.” Donghyuck stretched back to Mark’s fridge and then tossed a lime White Claw right at Taeyong’s head. It slapped into his palm. 

Yeri clapped. “Whoa, nice catch!” 

“I can’t believe I caught that.” 

“Hyuck, what the fuck!” Renjun gave him a hard thump on the chest and Donghyuck screamed. “You can’t just throw shit at drunk people’s heads!” 

The can spewed everywhere as soon as Taeyong popped it open. He watched, mesmerized, as it bubbled up out of the can and spilled over his hand onto the floor. Donghyuck cackled. 

“S’your floor,” Taeyong mumbled, and started drinking. “What are you guys doing?” 

“They had questions about Greek life. Hazing and stuff.” 

“Oh yeah. Johnny and I are in charge of hazing this year, you know what that means.” 

Renjun, Beomgyu, and probably-jaehyun’s eyes widened. 

“It’s going to be boring as fuck?” Yeri guessed. 

That wasn’t quiet the answer Taeyong was looking for, but he thought about it. “Yup, pretty much.” 

“God, they’re going to be so nice.” Donghyuck shook his head and rolled his eyes at the ceiling. “That’s probably good though. I don’t think any of the SigMu brothers right now are big fans of hazing. Like, not even the alphas.” 

“Speaking of,” Taeyong wiped his hand off on his pants and backed towards the door again. “I gotta go make sure my boyfriend isn’t having a nervous breakdown.” 

“Which? Jaehyun? I think he went to bed.” 

The present jaehyun boy narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean ‘which?’” 

“I guess that’s okay. Maybe I’ll go check on him.” 

“I don’t think you should attempt the stairs by yourself right now Mr. President.” 

“I’m fine,” he grumbled, but Donghyuck had a point. Taeyong stumbled out of the room and looked for Johnny who could maybe carry him up the stairs or something. 

The music cut off suddenly, which was about as disorienting an abrupt pressure change. Taeyong froze and said “whoa” as all of a sudden he could hear himself think again, and then Johnny’s voice shouted over the crowd. 

“Okaaay!! I don’t have a mic but welcome to SigMu! I’m about to drop a beat so I better see some dancing!” And then he dropped that beat like a hot potato. It rattled through the house, loud and funky and bass heavy. The floor shook as a whole crowd of people started jumping up and down. “YEAH WOO!!” said Lucas. Taeyong shuffled towards the dance floor. There was already a circle forming around Jungwoo. Most of the PNMs looked a little intimidated as Jungwoo freestyled his way around the edge of the circle. Taeyong scanned the edge of the circle for—

“Oh my god, Soobin.” He slapped himself on the forehead and whirled around. 

“Yong, you good?” 

Taeyong jumped. It was Doyoung, with the final two of Mark and Donghyuck’s friends. “U-uh. I just—” he cut himself off with his own White Claw can and ended up spilling some down his chin when he tried to finish faster. “Sorry, I was with a PN—a potential guy and I lost him somewhere.” 

Doyoung blinked at him and nodded slowly. “I’m sure he’s fine. Here, let me hold that for you.” He removed the White Claw from Taeyong’s hand so Taeyong could finish wiping of his face with his wrist. 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. Meet Chenle and Jeno.” He smiled and nodded over at the two boys he was with. 

“Nice to meet you guys!” Taeyong said quickly, and stuck out a hand that he realized too late was all wet with White Claw. “I’m Taeyong, I’m the president, what are your majors?” 

“Hi,” Jeno gave him the cutest eye smile and giggled. The scent of alpha wafted gently off him, more subtle than any of the current SigMu alphas, like hardwood and moss but just as deep and masculine with that musky sex note like the others. He grabbed Taeyong’s hand and swayed a little. 

“I’m a philosophy major,” said the Chenle one, “and Jeno is Sports Medicine.” 

“Oh wow, philosophy, cool cool. Um.” He reached for his White Claw and Doyoung lifted it just out of reach. “What are you planning on doing with that?” 

“I’m going to go work for my dad.” 

“What does he do?” 

“He owns a big development firm in Shanghai.” 

Taeyong blinked at him. “…Wow! That’s so cool. Is… philosophy a big part of that job?” 

“No.” Chenle grinned and his eyes got very wide. “Not at all.” He jerked suddenly to the side when Jeno stumbled and grabbed him. Chenle didn’t actually help much, but Doyoung ducked to catch Jeno against his shoulder. He smiled fondly as Jeno leaned heavily against him for support and giggled. Taeyong had never seen an alpha so cute, or so drunk. The amount of alcohol it would take Johnny to get that drunk was more expensive than it was worth, but it wasn’t Taeyong’s business if this kid liked to shotgun fifths of jack for fun. He used the distraction to reach for his White Claw, but the can vanished behind Doyoung’s back.

“Oh shit, Ten’s on the floor,” he said. Taeyong decided his drink could wait and squeezed his way to the edge of the dance floor. All the PNMs looked even more intimidated than usual as Ten body rolled and spun and winked at the crowd. Then Lucas came in with him, with all his alpha swagger and surprising grace, and got the circle hyped enough that everybody started jumping again. He heard Chenle laugh beside him as he jumped too. 

Lucas tagged out with Mark, who went from cute and awkward to sharp and charismatic so fast when he danced. Taeyong yelped when Mark reached through the crowd and pulled him into the circle. One of Taeyong’s knees gave. He almost fell, but Mark caught him in time. Normally Taeyong wouldn’t attempt to dance when he was this drunk, but as frat president it was his job to impress the Potential New Members, so he did his thing. All things considered, he thought he did a pretty good job. 

It wasn’t too long before he got to hand things off to Yuta. “That’s my president,” Yuta said as he slid up to Taeyong’s back with a hand on his waist. For a second, Taeyong could swear he felt Yuta’s nipple piercings press against him through their shirts. A shiver ran all the way down Taeyong’s spine. 

“Nakamoto, I swear to god!” Johnny yelled over the screaming and the music. 

Yuta backed off with his palms in the air, snickering, and started his own freestyle. Taeyong backed out of the circle, right into a hug from Jungwoo. 

“It always surprises me how good you are at dancing.” 

“What?” he panted, “why?” 

“You just look like you’re about to blow away on the next breeze most of the time.” 

Valid. Taeyong was alarmingly short on breath after that little burst of activity. 

Yuta had to flee for his life when Chungha jumped in. Taeyong scanned the edge of the circle critically for anybody who did not look intimidated, and was pleased to see Soobin again, with Kun by his side, thank goodness, hyping up one of his other tall friends. Seulgi got a turn, and then Soobin’s friend, whose name started with a T, shuffled into the middle and absolutely tore it the fuck up, only to be topped by Yeonjun right after. 

“Fuck, they’re perfect,” Taeyong hissed. He tapped out of Jungwoo’s hug and began fighting his way towards Johnny. 

Johnny was at the back of the circle like he always was, the only one who could see over everybody else, with his DJ headphones hanging from one hand, laughing and cheering. 

“Johnny!” He grabbed Johnny’s wrist. Johnny’s grin only got wider when he saw him. He pulled Taeyong forward and crushed him tight against his broad chest. 

“Baby,” he breathed. 

“Th-the tall guys…” Taeyong tried to focus. They couldn’t be too gross in front of the PNMs. Not a good look at a recruitment party. Very unprofessional. “We really need to…” Johnny touched under his chin and tipped his head way back. He made use of every inch he had on Taeyong as he leaned in over him and lined their faces up. Taeyong blinked up into his handsome dark eyes and breathed in his sex and woodsmoke scent and let his eyes slip closed. No one was watching. They were at the back of the group. 

Johnny’s plush lips pressed firmly against his, deep and hot. His arms held him so tight. Taeyong gripped the sturdy column of his waist. 

“Fuck, baby,” Johnny breathed. He hauled him closer. A hand twisted in his hair, firm but gentle. “I’ve wanted to do this all week.” His lips were so good, so demanding and relentless that all Taeyong could do was follow his lead, though he might have been the one to open his mouth and invite Johnny in. Maybe he was just drunk, but it felt like the best kiss he’d ever gotten. 

“Holy shit!” Somebody yelled nearby. Taeyong’s heart jumped, worried they’d been caught, but when he yanked away and opened his eyes, no one was looking at them. The noise around the circle was the loudest it had been all night. Somebody in the middle must have really been kicking ass. Better for them. A little growl in Johnny’s chest got Taeyong’s attention again, and so did the way he jerked Taeyong’s whole head back towards him. When he caught Taeyong’s mouth in another bruising kiss, Taeyong melted. 

Another growl tore like thunder through the edge of the circle. Taeyong had just enough time to look up and see Jaehyun, teeth bared and eyes flaming, shoving PNMs aside like they were cardboard cutout. He grabbed Johnny’s shoulder and yanked them apart. Johnny snarled too, just as loudly, and blocked a punch. 

“HOLY FUCK!!” Shrieked another jaehyun, probably. “ALPHA FIGHT!” 

Taeyong stumbled back and tripped over a chord hard enough to yank it out of the wall. The music cut off. Nothing was left to drown out the clear sound of the alphas growling like they wanted to tear each other apart. Somebody screamed. 

“What the FUCK Jeong!” Johnny threw a huge right hook right at Jaehyun’s jaw, but he ducked. 

“FUCK YOU!” Jaehyun threw one right back, but Johnny ducked low and tackled Jaehyun backwards. They slammed into the floor, right in the middle of what was left of the dance circle. Mark’s friend Jisung backed fast out of the center. Taeyong sat on the floor and watched in numb horror as PNMs, ladies, frat neighbors, and SigMu brothers alike scrambled backwards, screaming and waving their drinks around. Taeyong had seen the alphas play fight a lot. He knew they were all decent in a tussle, but he’d never seen them go at each other like this. This was no average frat brawl. They wrestled and punched and blocked like pros. Some drunk part of Taeyong’s brain was kind of impressed, but the rest of him was horrified. 

Johnny landed a solid punch right on Jaehyun’s mouth and his fist came away bloody. Jaehyun got one right under Johnny’s ribs and made him stop growling to yelp in pain. Yuta and Lucas dove in, also growling, but they both grabbed Jaehyun, who was on top, and Johnny got the chance to kick him in the gut. 

Taeil bust out of the kitchen banging Johnny’s tongs furiously against a dirty baking sheet. Grill grease sprayed everywhere. 

“COPS!! THE COPS JUST ROLLED UP!! SCAAATTTEEEEEEERR!!!!” 

Taeyong would have bet money that the mayhem couldn’t get any worse, and he would have lost. He scrambled back against the wall so he wouldn’t get trampled. Every window and door in the place slammed open, locked or not. Every screen got shoved out and thrown into the bushes, and fifty or so guests flooded out of the house like roaches when the lights come on. 

He briefly locked eyes with Soobin, who looked absolutely horrified. They didn’t hold the eye contact for very long. Soobin jerked his face away and grabbed Yeonjun’s hand and Huening Kai’s collar and dragged them out the back window as fast as he could. 

And then the house was empty. Four alphas huddled in the middle of the room, frozen in the middle of combat. The rest of the brothers blinked at each other. Five drunk sophomores peeked cautiously out of Donghyuck and Mark’s room. 

“I lied,” Taeil said. “The cops aren’t here. I just figured the party was over.” 

“Fuck, dude, your lip.” Johnny sat up and squinted at Jaehyun’s face. “Sorry, man.” 

“S’okay, just got caught on my teeth.” He wiped blood off his face. “Are you good?” 

“I’m fine!” said Lucas “That was exciting.” 

Taeyong staggered to his feet, marched right past the alphas, rushed up the stairs towards the bathroom as fast as his shaking legs would carry him.


	8. Sunday

Right in the middle of main street, just a short walk from campus, the 0 Mile café made the perfect date spot for students in a hurry. Taeyong was pretty much always in a hurry, but especially today, because none of his weekend homework was done and he’d had chapter in the morning and an Inter-Fraternity Council meeting right after that. The little diner was crazy busy on Sundays, which was why they had scheduled promptly at four thirty. Taeyong hurried in at four forty-five, shaking with exertion and winded from the hike. 

The pungent stench of fried food that hit him when the door opened almost convinced Taeyong to take another five minutes outside, but the alphas were already crammed into the same side of a red faux-leather booth waiting for him, so Taeyong swallowed down his nausea and let the door swing closed behind him. It looked like the cut on Jaehyun’s lip had reopened. He had his napkin pressed against it, but that didn’t stop him from laughing at whatever Johnny was showing him on his phone. Taeyong took a long moment by the retro music stand that served as the hostess’s stand to force his expression into something that resembled happiness and confidence instead of despondence and panic. This was supposed to be a date. 

Jaehyun spotted him and waved his bloody napkin at him. “Over here Yong!” He hopped up out of his seat to greet him as he came over, and lifted Taeyong’s backpack off his shoulders so he could sit down. “How was IFC?” 

“Uh…” Taeyong’s game face threatened to crumble. That hadn’t taken long. “Fine, usual stuff.” 

Jaehyun slid back into his seat. “I have a feeling there’s a ‘but’ in there. You look even more stressed than you did after chapter.” Both alphas stared expectantly at him. 

Taeyong sighed. No point sugarcoating when the SigMu head of recruitment was present. He would have to report to Johnny later anyway. “It sounds like last night’s disaster is the headline of the rumor mill today. The IFC secretary from PiKapp started the meeting by saying he’d heard that our rush party was a shitshow. Brothers making out with each other, alpha fights, cops showing up. They thought it was pretty funny.” 

The alphas glanced at each other. “It was pretty funny though.” 

“No. No it wasn’t.” He tugged his hands through his hair. “It would be funny if it happened to somebody else, but we’re supposed to be the classiest frat on campus, and we want to recruit guys who value that.” His eyes ached. He ground his trembling palms against them to wake them up. “It would be embarrassing at a regular party, but a fucking recruitment event? God. Maybe I should resign.” 

“NO!” 

Taeyong’s heart slammed against his ribs as both alphas shouted, and he jumped so hard his knee banged against the underside of the table.

“O-ow…” 

“Holy shit, Yong, are you okay?” Jaehyun abandoned his bloody napkin and switched sides of the booth so he could pull Taeyong into a side-hug. Johnny reached for his hand across the table.

“Babe you’re the best president this frat has ever had. Why would you even think of resigning?” 

Jaehyun’s warm hand closed over his throbbing knee. It felt better immediately. 

“That party was just so, so important. We need the best guys if we want to keep the amazing brotherhood we have, but right now we can’t even be picky because we’re desperate for money. Like, it could actually kill the frat if we don’t fill all five spots this fall. We have bills, you know.” He grabbed a napkin and pressed it to Jaehyun’s lip, which was about to drip. “My number one job as SigMu president right now is making sure we survive and maintain our quality, and I might have single-handedly fucked us over last night. The best guys at that party were Soobin and the other tall guys, and they probably won’t come back. And it’s my fault.” 

“That wasn’t your fault, Yong,” Jaehyun said quietly. 

Across the table Johnny stared down at his menu and squeezed Taeyong’s fingers. “Yeah, that was all our fault. It was really stupid of me to kiss you at a rush event, especially while Jaehyun was already so on edge. I’m sorry.” 

“What? No-“ 

“And I really fuckin lost it and nearly ripped Johnny’s head off.” Jaehyun said with a devastating pout. “It’s my fault too.” 

Both of Taeyong’s poor sweet boyfriends lowered their heads and looked so guilty. What a terrible way to start a date. “No, no guys you’re both nesting, its fine. I’m the president and I’m supposed represent the frat at rush events but I got, like, unbelievably wasted. _That’s_ inappropriate.” 

Johnny shook his head. “You’re allowed to get drunk at an informal party. I was supposed to lead it anyway.” 

Jaehyun ran his hand through Taeyong’s hair. “You could have gotten as drunk as you wanted. None of that would have happened if we weren’t nesting.” 

“Maybe it’s nobody’s fault?” Johnny brushed his thumb across Taeyong’s knuckles. “It was an accident. Shit happens.” 

Taeyong heaved a sigh. That was kinda dumb but if that was what it took to keep the poor alphas from blaming themselves, then, “yeah, yeah okay. Nobody’s fault.” 

“We always have Donghyuck and Mark’s friends anyway. They’re a really good fit. We all really like them.” 

“They seem nice.” He sighed and thought about Soobin’s dimples and what an amazing asset Yeonjun would make. “We could have gotten Mark and Donghyuck’s friends in the spring though, and then we would have ten great guys, but now we’re probably going to lose Soobin’s five to BTS.” The five who already had great reputations. The five that hadn’t shown up late and drunk. 

“Hey, if anybody has a chance of fixing this, it’s you.” Johnny pushed Taeyong’s water into his hand. 

“How do know we lost them anyway? I think most of the PNMs thought it was exciting.” 

They hadn’t seen the look of total alarm on Soobin’s face as he smooshed his long limbs and friends through the back window. 

“None of the PNMs know you two are nesting. I’m not going to trust any PNM who comes back for more after the amount of trashy reality TV drama we showed them at the end of that party.” 

“Aw, Yong, that’s harsh.” Jaehyun hugged Taeyong tighter. “It’s college and everyone was drunk. Nobody’s going to judge that hard.” Taeyong dunked a corner of the napkin in his water and cleaned up Jaehyun’s lip a little. Of course the alphas didn’t think a crazy alpha fight was a big deal. They hadn’t seen themselves brawling and snarling like wild animals in the middle of the dance circle. They probably thought they had looked cool.

“You were so calm in chapter, we had no idea you were so stressed about this.” 

“Oh, I looked calm? That’s nice.” All Taeyong remembered was shaking like a leaf at the podium, looking out at his eleven wide-eyed, hungover brothers, and panicking. He’d trashed his whole statement and just said something about how they weren’t going to talk about it, what happened happened, and they were going to do better next time. That had been pure cowardice and he’d regretted it all day but maybe that at least would turn out okay. 

“It’ll be fine, baby. We’ll fix things.” 

“Yeah, okay. Okay.” He looped an ankle around Johnny’s under the table and leaned his head on Jaehyun’s shoulder. “Sorry, this is supposed to be a cute date. Let’s be cute.” 

“You know what you want to order?” 

Taeyong shook his head. “I’m not hungry.” 

“Maybe soup?” 

“Sounds good.” 

While Johnny worked on catching their waiter’s eye, Taeyong snuggled into Jaehyun’s shoulder and closed his eyes. Jaehyun’s fingers worked gently through his hair. “Good move on Taeil’s part, right?” 

One corner of Taeyong’s mouth twitched up. “Yeah, that was pretty great.” 

“It was. Johnny and I have been scrubbing grease off the wall all fucking day.” 

“Hehe.” 

“We tried so many cleaning products and the one that worked was WD-40. Who knew?” 

“I coulda told you that,” Taeyong gave his sculpted tummy a little rub. “Mm, your abs are so nice. Why don’t I do this all the time?” 

“That’s a good question. Why don’t you?” 

“Are you guys ready to order?” said the waiter, who seemed to still be a weird distance from the table. Taeyong didn’t bother lifting his head. Johnny ordered for all three of them, unprompted, and then Jaehyun whined about it and Johnny teased him about being his little. Taeyong pressed his hand against Jaehyun’s abs and snuggled into his shoulder and tried to forget about the whole mess. He was warm and safe.

Johnny and Jaehyun kept their voices soft. Taeyong let the weight of his exhaustion settle into the backs of his eyelids relax his aching limbs. For a minute it almost seemed like he was dreaming. But the noise in the diner gradually grew as the dinner rush began to trickle in. Chairs scraped across the floor. People laughed and talked. Silverware clattered. Their plates tapped heavily down onto the table and their waiter talked too loud. Jaehyun would need his hands to eat, and Taeyong should try eating too. He opened his eyes and forced himself to sit up. 

“It’s minestrone,” Jaehyun pushed a distressingly large bowl in front of him. “Eat what you can, we can finish what you don’t.”

“Okay.” He lifted a spoonful of broth, but his hands were shaking so bad that most of it plopped loudly back into the bowl. Little drops of red splattered on the table. Taeyong considered eating just the noodles and vegetables, but his stomach barely even wanted the broth. He tried to lift the spoon a little more, but what little broth was left shook dangerously close to the edges before it got anywhere close to his mouth. Taeyong lowered it back down with his jaw clenched tight. Both alphas watched him. Johnny’s eyebrows furrowed. Jaehyun pursed his lips. 

“This is why I don’t go on dates,” Taeyong muttered. It was supposed to be a joke, but his throat closed up and his eyes smarted. 

“Taeyong…” Jaehyun twisted in his seat and pulled him into a full hug. Johnny’s hand gripped his from across the table again. “It’s a bad day, but that’s okay.” His big warm hands rubbed the frustration right out of Taeyong’s back. He sniffled once and dabbed his eyes dry on Jaehyun’s shoulder. 

“I’m fine. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” Jaehyun picked his abandoned spoon up out of the soup and lifted it up. “Say ah.” 

“Oh my god.” Taeyong gave his temples a good rub, but he opened his mouth and sipped carefully as Jaehyun tipped it against his lips. 

“How come you get to feed the boyfriend?” Johnny grumbled. His grip on Taeyong’s fingers was a little tight. 

“We can switch off in a minute.” Another spoonful touched gently against his lips. This time a little dripped down his chin, but Jaehyun dabbed it up with a napkin before Taeyong’s hand even got halfway there. 

“This is embarrassing.” 

“Good thing it’s just us.” 

“Everything taste fine?” said the waiter. 

Jaehyun lifted another spoonful. “Yes, thank you.” 

Taeyong let out a deep sigh, but he opened his mouth. It was actually easier to eat with somebody else doing the not so heavy lifting, like when Doyoung helped him take his pill. Before he knew it, half the broth was gone. 

“Come on, my turn,” Johnny whined. 

“Wait, just one more.” 

“Taeyong, tell him it’s my turn!” 

“Jay, it’s probably Johnny’s turn.” 

Jaehyun sighed and put the spoon down, but then he wrapped his arms around Taeyong’s waist and snuggled up on his shoulder like he had no plans of moving. 

“Jaehyun come on.”

“Mm.”

“You’ve been cuddling him since he got here. It’s supposed to be a three-person date but I’m third wheeling.”

“You got to kiss him yesterday,” Jaehyun grumped.

“And you sleep in his bed all the time. Let me feed the boyfriend!”

“Nnnoooo.”

Johnny finally let go of Taeyong’s hand and came around to their side of the table. He grabbed Jaehyun by the waist and pulled him out of the booth. After last night’s fight, Taeyong was a little nervous that this would result in a public scuffle, but Jaehyun just sighed and shuffled into Johnny’s vacated seat. 

“Let’s have a few noodles, babe.”

“I-I don’t know if that’s a good idea…”

A full spoon or red broth with a couple noodles rapidly approached his face.

“Say Ah,” Johnny singsonged as the broth wobbled dangerously over the rim of the spoon. The front of Taeyong’s shirt was protected by the feeble grace of soupy surface tension alone. Taeyong leaned in and sucked it up as fast as he could, noodles and all. 

“Johnny boy I’m going to need you to chill.” 

Johnny laughed and scooped up another, with vegetables this time. “Open up for the plane! Weeeee!” 

“Dude!” Taeyong held his napkin up like a shield. He opened his mouth and lunged. By some miracle he got the whole end of the spoon in his mouth without making a mess, teeth clamped around the neck. Johnny tried to pull it out, but Taeyong didn’t let it go. 

“Yong!” 

“Mm.” He grabbed Johnny’s wrist as Johnny wiggled it back and forth, trying to shake it loose.

“Christ Johnny, let the poor man eat,” Jaehyun said with way too much snickering.

“Okay, fine fine I’ll be serious.”

That was unlikely. The look on Johnny’s face was definitely an attempt to look as trustworthy as possible. Taeyong narrowed his eyes.

“I will!” Johnny opted for a handsome pout next. “I promise, I’ll be really careful.”

There was no way Johnny would ever let a joke die that fast, but the fact was, Taeyong wasn’t going to sit there with a spoon trapped in his mouth for the rest of the meal. He gave Johnny one last squinty glare before he let it go.

To his credit, Johnny managed to play it straight for three half-filled, broth only spoonfuls and Taeyong almost relaxed. 

“Ooh, there’s cheesecake on the dessert menu,” said Jaehyun around a mouthful of Johnny’s sandwich. 

Well didn’t that sound nauseatingly rich. “Is there ice cr—”

“Say AAH!”

A spoon of liquid red sailed through the air. Taeyong squeaked and lunged again. This time he barely managed to catch a big dribble as it slid down his chin. “Jrrhnyy!”

“Was that my name?”

With the spoon still trapped between his teeth, Taeyong grabbed Jaehyun’s water and pushed it into Johnny’s face. Johnny shrieked. Taeyong aimed for his mouth as best he could and tipped. Some of it went into Johnny’s mouth. Most of it splashed down his chin onto his sweater. Johnny choked, then laughed, and water sprayed back into the cup and down his front some more. It finally occurred to him to use his hands. He released Taeyong’s spoon and grabbed the cup instead. Taeyong let take have it.

“I shouldn’t fuck with Taeyong,” Johnny laughed as he dabbed water off his front. “He’s too smart—hey are you eating my food?”

Jaehyun’s eyes got real wide and his giggling cut off. “Oh, shit this is yours.”

“You ate like half of it! You got your blood on it!”

“Fuck, oops.” Jaehyun stuck the last three bites of the first half of Johnny’s sandwich into his mouth all at once. His cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

“DUDE!” Johnny picked up half of Jaehyun’s and shoved it as far into his mouth as he could get it. Taeyong bust out laughing. Jaehyun choked and doubled over with a napkin clutched to his face to keep from spewing. Johnny tore off a massive chunk of sandwich with a shake of his head like an angry dog, but then he had to dive for a napkin too when he started laughing too. Thank god none of them choked. Taeyong’s CPR certification was hella expired. Both disgusting boyfriends chomped down their ridiculously huge mouthfuls despite their giggling and Taeyong felt a little less tired. His hands didn’t stop shaking, but the bowl was empty enough that he could lift it with both hands and drink over the rim, no alpha assistance required. 

“So Taeyong,” Johnny started after things had settled down and Taeyong was carefully picking noodles and zucchini out of brothless veggie sludge in his bowl. His plate was back in front of him now, and the half of Jaehyun’s sandwich that he’d mutilated. 

“Taeyong? Not babe? This must be serious.” He ducked in to slurp the noodles off his spoon as fast as he could, before his shaky hands threw them everywhere.

“Sort of. Jaehyun and I wanted to ask you about something.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

The alphas glanced at each other and back at him. Jaehyun’s dimples really came out when he chewed. So cute.

“We started nesting last Thursday, right? Or as early as late Wednesday night. So rut could hit anywhere from Tuesday to Friday this week.”

Ah yes. That. Taeyong put his spoon down to make sure what he’d eaten settled before he had more. “I didn’t realize there was that much margin.”

Jaehyun shrugged. “My nesting period is always thirteen days.”

“Mine is usually fourteen or fifteen, but since we synced up, maybe it’ll be different, but we could go into rut at different times.”

Taeyong nodded. “That would be convenient if we only had to deal with one at a time.”

“Yeah, that would be amazing. But we’re definitely going to have overlap by at least a day.”

“Right.” Taeyong thought back on the conversation they’d had during Momo’s house tour. “We need to talk to Jungwoo. I know you guys don’t want to kick me out of my bed, but I’ll seriously be fine.”

“I actually already talked to Jungwoo,” said Jaehyun.

Taeyong blinked away from the last dumb meme in his chat with Jungwoo. “You did?” 

“Yup. Nesting, remember? I’m very motivated to get my rut spot ready, whether that’s my room or Jungwoo’s.” He narrowed his eyes at Johnny. “Anyway, he said he can’t sleep without a bed to himself, and he wasn’t thrilled about an alpha doing rut in his room, but I promised him a three day sleepover with Doyoung and he agreed to those terms.”

“Have you two decided who’s taking Jungwoo’s room?” 

Johnny narrowed his eyes back. “No.”

“Then Jungwoo can decide based on who’s smell he prefers, since his room is probably going to smell like whoever stays there for a while.”

“Oh.” Both alphas shoulders relaxed a fraction. “That’s a good solution, thanks Yong.”

“That’s why I got the job.” He put his phone back on the table with a satisfying click. “Cool. It’d be funny if you two had to do rut in the same room though.”

Both alphas made identical grimaces. “That would be so weird.” 

“Yeah it would.” Taeyong snickered and imagined how awkward it would be if these two had to jack off together for three days straight. “I’ll just sleep on the studio couch. I sleep there just as well as I do in bed. No worries.” The noodles seemed to be settling fine, so he started digging for more.

“That’s the other thing, babe. We still don’t want to make you sleep on a couch somewhere…” Johnny glanced at Jaehyun again, who kept his lips firmly pursed and raised his eyebrows. “But we were thinking maybe you might be, like, sleeping in our beds anyway...”

The tips of Jaehyun’s ears turned a little pink. Taeyong was sure his did too. The alphas stared at him with big, hopeful eyes. Taeyong put his spoon down.

“No pressure,” Jaehyun said quickly. “We’re not assuming you will just because we know you did for Yuta.”

“Yeah, maybe you hated it.” Johnny did a big shrug. “Just because Yuta thought you loved it doesn’t mean he knows what he’s talking about. You could have faked it.”

Taeyong snorted. Jaehyun flashed Johnny a ‘what the fuck, dude,’ face over the table. “He also said you started avoiding him so like-” Jaehyun’s ears turned pinker as Johnny shot him the same look back. “A-all we’re saying is we’re not going to read into whatever decision you make or anything, like, it’s totally up to you. We don’t care.”

The whole table rattled like Johnny had kicked the table leg instead of Jaehyun’s leg like he’d wanted. “We do care,” he said. “We care a lot.”

“But it doesn’t matter.” Jaehyun kicked back and Johnny winced.

“Right,” he hissed out. “It doesn’t matter.”

Taeyong gave them a couple seconds to make sure they were done. They blinked at him and waited. He opened his mouth—

“Also you really don’t need to decide now. Sorry go ahead,” said Jaehyun.

“Yeah, you can decide day of if you want, we really don’t need an rsvp or anything. Oh, my bad, you were saying?” said Johnny.

Taeyong laughed. “Oh my god. Yes, we can fuck, it’s not that big a deal.”

“Whoa, seriously?” Both alpha’s faces lit up. Johnny grinned and bounced his feet on the floor. Jaehyun’s cheeks got just as pink as his ears. Taeyong could definitely feel himself blushing too.

“Is that going to be like a full-time gig? How often am I going to need to switch off?”

“That’s totally up to you.”

Jaehyun nodded. “Any help is appreciated. If you want to switch off nights or just do one round each or skip class and spend three straight days going back and forth, that’s all fine.”

“You could even just spend the whole time with me and leave Jaehyun on his own.” Johnny smiled a little too wide.

“I mean you could,” Jaehyun muttered. He took a sulky bite of his sandwich as he glared at Johnny.

“I wouldn’t do that. It’s both or neither.”

“Both is good.” Johnny dropped his arm over Taeyong’s shoulders and pulled him up against his side in the booth. Given the topic of conversation at hand, Taeyong couldn’t help but think a little extra about Johnny’s body under those clothes, all big and long and warm. He had an urge to put his hand on Johnny’s thick thigh, but since they were negotiating future sex adventures, he decided to keep things professional.

“Obviously I don’t know a lot about what ruts are like. Anything I should know?”

“Um.” Jaehyun twisted around in his seat to make sure the booth behind him was still empty. “I mean we don’t have to start from scratch. What did you and Yuta decide to do?”

“Do we really need to talk about what he did with Yuta,” Johnny grumbled, but Taeyong thought it was a good idea to start out with a previous experience. He checked behind their side too. Still just empty red leather and untouched cups of Sweet’n’Low.

“We didn’t exactly decide anything. It was the last day of his rut. We went for two rounds and then he passed out and I left to go do homework. I think his rut was finished when he woke up.”

Even with that brief description, Johnny’s hand tightened on Taeyong’s shoulder. He could see Jaehyun’s fists clench too, but he, at least, stayed focused. “Was that a good amount of time and energy for you or did you think you could do more?”

“Or less, whatever you need.”

Jaehyun pursed his lips and blinked down at his plate which was the Jaehyun equivalent of a heavy eye roll. Taeyong laughed. “Less would mean only one of you gets to knot me. I think I can at least manage one each.”

A weird silence fell over the table as both alphas stared at him with dark, heavy eyes. Jaehyun’s tongue slipped over his lips. Johnny’s arm squeezed tight around his shoulders. Taeyong could only imagine what they were thinking about. He remembered how overwhelmed and helpless he’d felt on Yuta’s knot, with his already fragile body pushed to the limit, and both of these boys were bigger than Yuta. Taeyong’s palms tingled and heat crept up his collar. 

Johnny shook it off first. “Knowing what your health is like, I think it’d be a good idea to do the sex on day one in case we don’t get to do it again. Yuta probably told you how if we don’t have sex by day three, we get really frustrated, but if we do, day three is pretty chill.”

“Oh really? Didn’t know that but anyway I don’t know why I’d wait.”

Jaehyun’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yuta didn’t tell you that? Didn’t you guys do it on his third day?”

For a couple of guys who tensed up at the slightest description of Taeyong and Yuta’s little adventure, they sure did want to hear about it. “Yuta and I didn’t really talk. Before or after. Like I told Johnny, he was pretty wild at the time, so it was just necessary communication.”

“Oh.” Both alphas tensed up all over again, especially Johnny. His fingers dug into Taeyong’s shoulder. “Wait, how did he proposition you if he wasn’t up for talking?”

“We didn’t have ‘a talk,’” he threw up some air quotes, “but there was a lot of begging.”

Jaehyun took a deep breath and flexed out his hand, which he’d had clenched into a fist. “Just him, or…?” He picked up a fork and twirled it between his fingers, ears pink.

Taeyong’s palms itched again, cheeks warm. “…Both of us did a lot of begging.” Jaehyun bit his lip hard and reopened his wound again. Taeyong went ahead and put that hand on Johnny’s thigh like he’d wanted, and rubbed his tingling palm over the denim. “But he only had to beg at the beginning, and then he just growled a lot. I begged throughout.” The fork bent like cardboard in Jaehyun’s fingers. Beside him Johnny sucked in a slow breath. Taeyong dropped his chin and blinked up at Jaehyun through his eyelashes. “I guess I didn’t just beg. I made lots of other noises.” Jaehyun’s jaw dropped open. Taeyong swallowed hard and squeezed his fingers into Johnny’s thigh. “Sometimes,” he breathed, “I told him what a good job he was doing when he fucked me so hard I couldn’t see str—”

Johnny grabbed his jaw and yanked his face up and to the side. Their lips smashed together hard enough to hurt. Johnny’s fingers dug into his cheeks and his ribs.

“Johnny the fuck!” Jaehyun hissed across the booth. His hands squeaked on the tabletop. “Be gentle!”

Instead of being gentle, Johnny nipped Taeyong’s lip and gripped harder. His tongue shoved deep into Taeyong’s mouth, and Taeyong blushed as a moan slipped from high in his throat. Johnny let out a deep, rumbling groan in response, and Jaehyun straight up growled. Taeyong scrambled for Johnny’s arm as his hand slipped down from Taeyong’s jaw to his throat.

“Waiter’s looking.”

Just in time, because while the throat grab was deliciously hot, it did antagonize Taeyong’s gag reflex. He pulled feebly at Johnny’s fingers, but his grip was so weak, it probably didn’t mean anything to Johnny, and he didn’t have the mental energy to grip any tighter. His hand stayed on Taeyong’s neck until he gave Taeyong’s bottom lip one last rough suck. As he pulled back, Taeyong caught a glimpse of ravenous hunger in Johnny’s eyes before he ducked his head under Johnny’s chin to swallow down the discomfort in his throat.

Across from them, Jaehyun sat stiff with a crumpled fork sticking straight up out of the table in front of him and a Napkin pressed to his mouth. “My turn,” he growled. 

“Just a second,” Johnny growled back. His big hands pawed at Taeyong’s shoulders. Taeyong squeezed his thigh. 

That had been dangerously close to some serious public indecency, which was especially bad when he’d already embarrassed the whole frat doing the same thing the day before. If more rumors started spreading about SigMu guys ruining parties and getting kicked out of diners by making out with each other, they might not be able to get any good spring recruits either. He abruptly regretted all that salty broth. 

“Johnny, come on,” Jaehyun growled. Johnny gave Taeyong one last firm squeeze and a kiss on the hair before sliding reluctantly out of the booth. For just a moment, Taeyong was cold and uncomfortable, aching to curl up and close his eyes without Johnny’s big warm body supporting him, but then Jaehyun shuffled in and pressed up against him, even warmer than Johnny and just as anchoring.

“You okay, cutie?” Jaehyun dropped a napkiny kiss on Taeyong’s temple. His hand slid down Taeyong’s thigh to the outside of his knee and pulled Taeyong’s legs over his lap. He shuffled them down the booth until Taeyong’s back pressed up against the wall. Just a tiny tip forward leaned him right up against Jaehyun’s chest. He parked his head on Jaehyun’s shoulder and let his eyes close. Lurid green Adirondack chairs and Soobin’s horrified face spun around behind his eyelids.

“M’fine.” His stomach had stopped threatening him for the most part. For now, anyway. “Kissing is great but I just got a sudden wave of doom. I think it was the noodles.” 

“No way, noodles bring joy.” His lip must have stopped bleeding, because he pressed lots of little kisses into Taeyong’s hair. 

“How are you guys doing?” came the waiters voice. Taeyong cracked open an eye and he was, in fact, standing an awkward four feet back from the table. 

Johnny looked up and said “good, thanks,” and Jaehyun kissed Taeyong’s forehead. 

“Jay, canoodling in front of the waiter is rude.” He gave Jaehyun a little pat on the chest.

“Um, I uh…” waiter guy shuffled and looked between Johnny’s shoulder and Jaehyun’s water. “I need to remind you guys that this is a family restaurant. Please keep things appropriate…” Just behind waiter guy, a disheveled group of freshman stoners chugged milkshakes like hippos at a water hole. Behind that, several members of the girls’ rugby team attempted to toss fries into each other’s mouths. 

“Hmm.” Jaehyun dropped his cheek onto Taeyong’s hair. “Can we get the check please? Me and him’ll split it.” He nodded at Johnny, who was attempting to unbend the fork. 

“K,” said the waiter. Taeyong closed his eyes again. 

“Yong,” Johnny said softly after a few quiet moments of Jaehyun’s lips on his forehead and his hand on his thigh, “I’m sorry I jumped you like that.”

Taeyong pushed an arm blindly towards Johnny. Dishes scraped across the tabletop as alphas cleared his path. “You’re fine. I was kind of asking you to. Why else would I describe the Yuta incident in detail to my hormonal nesting boyfriends?” 

Both of Johnny’s hands wrapped around his. “So that was supposed to happen?” 

“Yeah.” He sighed and thought of what a broke, empty frat Mark and Donghyuck would have if Taeyong couldn’t get his sexual frustration under control.

“Hey look who it is,” said a new voice, way too close to the table to be the waiter. “Wow! Snuggly.” Taeyong got jostled as Jaehyun sat up to greet the newcomer. Whoever it was got an enthusiastic greeting from Johnny too. Lots of what’s ups and hands slapping together. Taeyong figured he had to open his eyes.

Jaemin waved at him as he slid right into the booth next to them. Jaehyun even lifted Taeyong’s legs for him to make room. Johnny scooted over for Jeno on the other side.

“Are you guys hungover as fuck or what? Oh wait shit you guys are alphas.” Jaemin dragged his hoody strings through the last few bites of Johnny’s sandwich to grin at Taeyong. “Are you hungover as fuck? Cuz I am.”

“…Probably.”

“Jeno was actually hungover this morning,”

Johnny clapped the poor bleary yet cheerful alpha on the back. “No shit dude, how much did you drink?”

“I don’t know,” Jeno stuck out his lower lip. “I don’t remember the party. I remember pregaming and Mark and Hyuck yelling at us for drinking too much and then I was playing video games at the house.”

“With Lucas?” Taeyong asked.

Jeno blinked at him and looked at Johnny.

“Nah, Lucas went home by then.”

Jaehyun rubbed a friendly hand over Jaemin’s shoulders. “We didn’t start playing video games until about one in the morning.”

So that’s what all that hooting downstairs had been while Taeyong was crying and/or binging soothing historical sewing YouTube videos with Doyoung and Ten all night. “I didn’t realize we still had guests so long.”

“Oh yeah we even took them on a sunrise gas station ice cream run.” Jaehyun’s hand was still on Jaemin’s shoulder. Johnny and Jeno compared fuzzy party memories with a lot more easy comradery than Taeyong had ever seen out of two alphas who had met the day before.

“Wow, what even is that?” Jaemin pointed at Taeyong’s soup sludge.

“It was Minestrone.”

“Looks delicious. What are you guys up to?”

“We’re on a date,” said Taeyong, and hoped that got them to leave.

“Oh cool, us too,” said Jaemin. “Are you going to finish your soup?”

“No, you can have it.”

Jaemin swooped it up and poured an excessive amount of salt on it with a “hoohoohoohoo!!” and shoveled it in with Johnny’s fork.

They were nice, but Taeyong was tired. He closed his eyes again. Johnny laughed too loud at something Jaemin said and teased them about video games. Jaehyun’s fingers brushed through his hair. Their waiter still hadn’t brought the check. Taeyong’s eyes drifted back open to find Jaehyun’s hand brushing through Jaemin’s hair too. These guys probably would be a good fit for SigMu, but Soobin and Yeonjun were even better. Taeyong snuggled into Jaehyun’s chest and dug out his phone so he could compose an email the president of BTS with request for his rush schedule. They most he could do at this point was make sure Soobin’s friends had more time to choose yet. If Sigmu had to completely reschedule their rush to avoid conflicting events, then that’s what they would do.


	9. Monday/Tuesday

Taeyong hadn’t gotten a response from Kim Namjoon by four AM the next morning as he frantically finished the weekend’s studying in the studio, powered by coffee and anxiety. Namjoon wasn’t even camping out across the hall like he usually was, so Taeyong couldn’t knock on the door to ask him for his fall rush schedule. He still hadn’t received a response at eight the next morning when Taeyong checked as he slurped his second mug of pour over and traced his fingers over Jaehyun’s warm, bare back as he slept. He had been there when Taeyong came home, taking up precious pillow space and hogging the green blanket. Still, Taeyong had been glad to have him. But even Jaehyun’s pleasant scent and warm body couldn’t keep Taeyong’s stomach from turning, or eloquent explanations for the party disaster that he wished he could give the PNMs from playing endlessly in his head. 

He hadn’t gotten a response two hours later either, as he sat alone in his room and contemplated his little orange pill bottle. Jaehyun and Doyoung were in class. Johnny’s latest all-day grill project filled the whole house with the smell of smoke and made breathing unpleasant. No amount of common sense could convince Taeyong to eat even the blandest of his protein bars, and no amount of emotional exhaustion could persuade his anxious brain to sleep. The little pill bottle sat ominously in his hand. Twenty minutes ago, the morning sunlight through the window set the orange plastic glowing. It had filled his palm with brilliant orange light like a stained-glass window. All the scuffs and scratches that marred the plastic from all the times Taeyong chucked it violently into his drawer turned into flickering patterns like sunsets and flames against his skin, but the sun had risen too high in the sky now. The plastic turned dull and ugly again.

About ten minutes ago, he’d even managed to pry the lid off with his shaking fingers but that was as far as he’d gotten. “Come on,” he whispered. He could have been getting work done, or hugging Johnny or Donghyuck or Jungwoo, or even trying to sleep, but instead he was sitting on his bed with shaking hands and a churning stomach, staring into a little orange bottle. The pills stared back up at him. ‘how’d you like to feel even worse?’ they said. Taeyong took a deep breath and jammed two fingers inside. He caught one against the side of the plastic and ignored the way his skin crawled as he jammed it into his mouth and swallowed. 

Done for the day. Tomorrow, Doyoung would still be around in the morning to help. He snapped the lid back onto the bottle and he breathed a sign of relief. 

The door bust open without warning. Taeyong gasped and shoved the bottle out of sight just in time. Johnny stuck his head in.

“Campus Security is here.” 

“Chairs?” 

“Yeah.” 

Taeyong slid off his bed and grabbed the Lowe’s receipt out of his pencil jar. “Go time. Let me do the talking, okay?” 

“Yessir, Mr. President.” He gave Taeyong a rub on the back. “What if they check the date?” 

“I took an eraser to the eighteen until it said thirteen.” 

Johnny whistled. Taeyong felt smug until they reached the top of the stairs, but after that it was hard to feel smug when he had to grip Johnny’s shoulder so his shaking knees wouldn’t send him tumbling all the way to the first floor where Donghyuck and Jungwoo were loitering so they could rubberneck the whole event.

On the doorstep stood a uniformed woman with a notebook and an angry frown. Taeyong made sure his eyes were extra big and his smile extra soft. 

“Hey, I’m the SigMu president, this is about the chairs, right?” 

She frowned up at him and checked her notebook. “Yeah, so an officer noticed that you have four chairs that look a lot like the school chairs, and we counted and noticed that six of our chairs are missing.” 

Taeyong nodded and kept smiling. “I thought you guys might come ask us about those, so I kept the receipt.” He dug it out of his pocket and held it out with a very shaky hand, which probably did not inspire much trust, but trust or not, it was a valid receipt for four wooden Adirondack chairs. She took it and unfolded it slowly and held it up in front of her face. Taeyong watched her check the details of the purchase, including the date. It looked like her eyesight wasn’t awesome, thank god. The thirteen was pretty convincing but Taeyong still didn’t want her looking too closely. 

Finally, she handed it back. “Why were you painting them at six in the morning?” 

“A couple of our alphas are nesting right now, so they’ve been up doing chores at all kinds of weird hours.” 

She pursed her lips and squinted at his face for a long moment, but then she nodded and tucked her notebook into her vest. “Okay, well, that all checks out. Looks like you’re in the clear.” 

“Thanks officer.” 

“I don’t think I’ve seen too much of you boys this year.” She frowned at him, and then behind him at the other guys all huddled by the stairs, watching. “Let’s keep it that way.” 

“Yes ma’am, we’ll behave.” 

She nodded. “Have a nice day.” 

“You too.” 

And then she turned around and left. Taeyong waited until she was off the porch and then slowly closed the door. 

“Holy shit, it worked,” Donghyuck breathed. He collapsed to the floor at Jungwoo’s feet. “Oh god, I still have weed money.” Taeil slow clapped from halfway up the stairs. Jungwoo also clapped, but very fast. Johnny leaned against the pong room door and narrowed his eyes at Taeyong, not unlike the officer lady. 

“Taeyong, you are a very good liar.” 

Taeyong shrugged and tucked his hair behind his ear. “Thanks, babe. It’s one of my greatest talents. I mean look how long it took you guys to notice.” 

Jungwoo gasped. “Taeyong lies?” 

“Yup!” Johnny clapped Taeyong on the shoulder. “I watched him lie completely unprovoked to our Target cashier.” 

“What? Was I supposed to tell her that I have such bad nausea and insomnia that I can’t walk around a target without help? That’s a lot to dump on some poor part-timer.” 

“I guess that’s a good point.” He rubbed the back of Taeyong’s neck. “Speaking of, need me to carry you up the stairs?” 

That would be nice. Taeyong’s legs already ached just thinking about it, but he had a little pride still. “N-no, I got it.”

“Okay. Back to pork ribs attempt number two.” He strolled towards the back door with Donghyuck skipping after him shouting, “Hey dad, wanna clean my room?” 

If Taeyong thought the house smelled like campfire before, that was nothing compared to how it smelled when he got home after class. Around lunch time, barbeque dinner had been announced in the SigMu group chat. Taeyong was sure he’d been the only one missing, but his stomach told him to stay away. Even now that they were all done, the smell of barbeque hung thick in the air. Taeyong scrapped his idea for a nap in favor of getting a shower and some food and running off to the studio as fast as he could before he got sick again.

It took him a grand total of twenty minutes to get clean and changed and packed up to a soundtrack of German metal blasting from Yuta’s room, and then all he needed was a quick stop in the kitchen. The place was almost unsettlingly clean. Any last traces of Franzia had been mopped up off the floor and all of the day’s dishes were sparkling in the drying racks, organized the way that Jaehyun liked. A few days from now, they would probably be organized the way Taeyong liked again. He would have to add his thirty minutes of house tidying back into his schedule somewhere. And haul his own ass back from the studio every night. Make his own coffee. Keep his own bed warm.

Protein bars were too much to ask today. He grabbed a box of saltines instead and refilled his water bottle in the sink as he checked his email. Kim Namjoon still hadn’t responded. 

“There you are, cutie.” Jaehyun wandered into the kitchen with a whole armload of dirty cups and a few plates. “I missed you.” 

“Missed you too.” Taeyong set his water bottle and the crackers aside as Jaehyun dumped his entire armload in the sink with a jarring crash. “How was class? How’s your lip?” 

“Class sucked because you weren’t there, and the lip…” Jaehyun pulled him in by the waist and kissed him. His lips were warm and soft and wet, and tasted just a little like woodsmoke, but it wasn’t too bad. Taeyong licked gently over the cut. “The lip is fine,” Jaehyun whispered. His hands slid under the straps of Taeyong’s backpack and smoothed over his back. Taeyong pushed his fingers up into Jaehyun’s thick, soft hair. Their lips slipped gently together, sweet and indulgent.

From the doorway, Mark muttered “oh, whoa,” and then left again. Taeyong realized he really wasn’t getting enough air and felt a little lightheaded, so he pulled away and tucked his forehead into Jaehyun’s shoulder. 

“How are you?” Jaehyun murmured.

“Not great. I’m going to try to nap in the studio.” 

“Want me to come with? I can help.” Jaehyun rubbed between his shoulders. Somehow, the nausea receded a little. Jaehyun’s scent was still a little too rich for him, but it was better than woodsmoke. 

“Help me nap?”

“Yeah, you have a blanket there but you don’t have a pillow. That’s what my lap is for.” 

“Hm…” Jaehyun’s snuggles had him more relaxed than he had been all day. Even now, his eyes actually stayed closed against Jaehyun’s shoulder instead of aching until they popped open again. “Yeah, come along. I’m not interrupting you, am I?” He twisted around a little to look at his pile of dishes in the sink. 

“Nah, we’re just cleaning Mark and Donghyuck’s room. Johnny doesn’t need my help bossing them around. They’re driving him crazy though. He’s having a hormonal day. He might need a kiss too before we go.” 

“Okay, I’ll do that.” He gave Jaehyun one last little peck. “Go get your homework, I’m sure you have some.” 

Jaehyun wrinkled his cute nose. “I guess I have readings to do. Go kiss Johnny. I’ll get your crackers and your water too.” 

Having boyfriends fucking ruled. Taeyong left the kitchen with both hands free and a new spring in his step. 

As soon as he rounded the corner, he understood what Jaehyun meant about Johnny’s hormones. “Stop. What are you doing?” He growled at Mark, who froze and took the vacuum plug away from the outlet. “We can’t vacuum yet. Clean out under your bed first.” 

Mark’s eyes widened as he stared at the wall of junk under his bed. “Seriously? I’m fine with it being like that. I was just going to leave it.” 

Johnny slapped both hands over his face and let out a long, angry sigh. Donghyuck frowned as he hunched over a massive pile of papers on his desk. “It’s his stuff, Johnny, he can leave it like that if he wants.” 

“No, he can’t!” Johnny yelled. Both boys flinched away a little. “Why the fuck did you ask a dude who’s nesting to help you clean your fucking room if you were just going to leave some parts of it looking like shit? Are you trying to drive me insane?” He pressed both palms into his eyes and let out a deep, furious growl. Donghyuck’s eyes widened. Mark dropped the vacuum chord and edged towards the door. Taeyong could see why. Johnny was scary like this. Even though Taeyong knew he was all bark, he still got a little shiver of nerves as he walked right up into the angry alpha’s personal space. 

“Johnny,” he murmured, and gently pulled his wrists down. Johnny’s growl fizzled out as his gorgeous face came into view, all stern eyebrows and clenched jaw. He looked scary in a way that made an excited little shiver run down Taeyong’s spine. “Hard day, baby?” he murmured.

“Yeah.” The pinch of his eyebrows turned more sulky than mad. Taeyong guided one of Johnny’s hands to his waist and the other to his face and pressed up on his toes. His eyes slipped closed. Johnny met him halfway. Their lips molded together. It wasn’t nearly as forceful as their previous two kisses, at least not at first. It started soft and slow, just lips sliding together. Johnny’s thumb brushed over his cheekbone. 

“Jesus,” Mark muttered, and finished leaving. On his way out, he passed Taeil, who stuck his head in the door and said “what’s all the yell—oh wow.” 

Johnny clutched him closer and deepened the kiss. Taeyong wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed back just as hard. 

“Should we leave?” asked Donghyuck, and Taeyong didn’t want to make any implications by telling him yes because he definitely wasn’t up for anything sexier than kissing, but he also seemed weird to tell him to stay. So they ignored him. 

Taeil snickered. “They took this boyfriend thing way more seriously than I thought they would.” 

Johnny’s hand slipped down and groped Taeyong’s butt through his sweatpants. There wasn’t much there to grope, but it still made Taeyong gasp. 

“Yeah, I’m leaving.” A chair scraped on the floor. Donghyuck’s voice came again from the doorway. “Leave it open. I don’t want them fucking in here.” 

As soon as they were gone, Johnny’s hand slipped down the back of Taeyong’s sweatpants. Taeyong shuddered. “O-oh,” he whimpered and pressed back into Johnny’s rough, kneading palm. It felt like forever since he’d been touched like that; intimate skin on skin. Not since Yuta. Even though his whole body trembled with exhaustion and his stomach protested all the activity, Johnny’s bold touch still felt so good.

But Johnny wasn’t the only one who could grope. Taeyong reached up into Johnny’s shirt and traced his fingers over Johnny’s stomach. He had amazing abs. Taeyong pawed at them for a minute and then pet all the way up Johnny’s gorgeous, muscley chest. His fingers brushed over a velvety soft nipple. Johnny let out a little grunt, so Taeyong did it again. He teased it with his fingertips, because he loved the way Johnny gripped him tighter and let out tiny little gasps, until Johnny decided to completely ruin his focus. Johnny’s middle two fingers pressed into the small of Taeyong’s back and then slid lower, between his cheeks, closer and closer to his hole. 

Taeyong moaned against Johnny’s lips. He pressed his hips back, asking for more. Johnny’s fingers finally slid over his hole and pushed tight against it. A needy whimper squeaked out of Taeyong’s chest. Johnny hummed back and gave his rim a few heavy rubs. 

“Christ, I only said he needed a kiss.” 

Johnny let out a growl so abrupt that Taeyong jumped, but he swallowed and cut himself off just as fast. His fingers were still pressed tight against Taeyong’s hole, which Jaehyun could probably guess. Taeyong’s face burned, but he hoped he guessed. 

“You were right, I did need that.” Johnny straightened up and looked around, but his hand still didn’t move. Taeyong buried his face in Johnny’s neck and gave his nipple a gentle pinch. 

“Yong, are we still going to the studio?” 

“Yeah, h-hold on.” He took a few deep breaths and got strong whiffs of woodsmoke and barbeque off Johnny’s hoody. His insides twisted unpleasantly. He pulled back and Johnny’s hand slipped out of his pants, his arm dropped from his shoulders. Taeyong wobbled on his own two feet again. “Feeling better?” 

Johnny smiled and nodded. “Much better. I think I’ll just organize under the bed on my own. I’ll do a better job than Mark anyway.” 

“Good, sounds good.” He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “Wash your hands first.” 

Jaehyun straightened up and blinked between them. “Huh?” 

“That’s probably a good idea.” Johnny followed them out but broke off at the kitchen. Taeyong heard him go, “aww, Markie are you washing the dishes?? I’m so proud of you little, so proud. Gimme the sponge, I wanna do it.” 

Taeyong insisted that Jaehyun let him carry the water and crackers, but only so he could feel better about hanging off Jaehyun’s arm the whole way. 

The nap idea got scrapped a second time when Taeyong found that he was too nauseous to lie down. Instead he fucked around with his latest track and got exactly nothing done because he couldn’t stop arguing with himself about recruitment stuff. 

“Jaehyun?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Should we message Soobin and his friends to personally invite them to the next party?” He prayed the answer was no. 

“Definitely. We really want them. They should know that.” 

Thirty minutes of mental anguish could have been avoided if he had just asked Jaehyun first, but the idea of messaging the five tall boys set his stomach rolling. “I don’t think I should do it.” 

“Mm…” Jaehyun’s book snapped shut, and he came up behind Taeyong’s chair and worked his strong fingers gently into Taeyong’s shoulders. Taeyong hadn’t realized how tense he was until Jaehyun slowly coaxed it out. “I think you should. You talked to them most out of all of us, and you’re the president.” 

Taeyong took a couple deep breaths and let them out as long sighs because he found that made him feel a little less sick. “But I was one of the people involved in the disaster.” 

“Then maybe we include a formal apology too? Like, ‘we hope to see you at the next party, ps, we apologize about the incident on Saturday, which did not reflect our fraternity’s values. We promise that we will do better in the future.” 

Taeyong took another couple deep breathes as his stomach turned some more. “That’s a good idea.” 

“Thank you.” He dipped down and kissed Taeyong on top of the head. 

“If we really like these guys, we should make an extra effort for them.” 

“Yes.” 

“…I should probably do it, shouldn’t I?” 

“I think you and Johnny are the only ones officially qualified.” 

Taeyong dragged both hands over his face and pulled up his school email on the studio computer. “Fuck.” 

“Maybe we can have the brotherhood chair, Taeil, do it.” 

“No, you’re right, I should do it.” 

He found Soobin’s email on the party’s guest list, which Kun, their secretary, had scanned into SigMu’s google drive folder. “Do you want to be my chair again?” 

“Yes.” Jaehyun lifted him up and slid in under him. The chair hissed as it dropped down. Even with Jaehyun’s warmth and strong arms supporting him, it took ages for Taeyong to compose the perfectly friendly yet professional email with just the right amount of invitation and apology, and his hands just shook more and more.

“Jaehyun?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Is this good? It doesn’t sound like desperation or groveling?” He leaned off to the side so Jaehyun could read it. 

“Hmm.” Jaehyun gave it a good, thorough read. “It’s so poised and tasteful, it could have been written by a Jane Austin heroine.”

“Oh gee, thanks.” Taeyong laughed. “It’s not too formal, right? I still want it to feel kinda personal. Not like a mass email or anything.” 

“I did say Jane Austin heroine, not insurance agency.” He gave Taeyong’s tummy a soothing pat. “Add the date and time of the next party too. Saturday at seven again.” 

Taeyong put that in, copied the message, and then sent it. He did the same for the other boys, with their names instead. “Should we send it to any other guys we really liked?” 

“Donghyuck and Mark’s friends? They obviously don’t give a fuck about the disaster and they’re definitely coming back, but it wouldn’t be fair to send it to Soobin’s group and not to them.” 

“You’re right.” He scrolled down to the very bottom of the list and found all their names and emails in Mark’s handwriting. 

“And there was a kid named jaehyun…” 

“No. Absolutely no more jaehyuns.” 

Jaehyun giggled. 

It wasn’t until all the emails were sent that Taeyong noticed an email from Kim Namjoon sitting at the top of his inbox. Arrived three minutes ago. Sent from a Samsung. It said, ‘I had no idea you guys were doing fall rush too! That’s some fierce competition, yikes. We should definitely make sure the parties don’t conflict.”

And that was it. Taeyong took another few deep breaths. “Baby, could you roll us over to the door for a sec?” 

Jaehyun kicked their chair over to the studio door so Taeyong could peek out. Kim Namjoon still wasn’t in his studio. “Okay, let’s go back.” Jaehyun rolled them back to the desk. 

He replied to Kim Namjoon: “Our next event is Saturday at seven, but we’d be happy to change ours to Friday if yours is Saturday too. Please let me know as soon as you can.” 

“Jaehyun, could you please rub my tummy? 

“Gentle or firm?” 

“Ooh, really gentle please.” 

Jaehyun’s warm hand pet his stomach and eased a bit of the nausea. With his help, Taeyong was able to get through a little more work. He savored it while he still had it. Jaehyun would have to sleep eventually, but Taeyong had felt this poorly often enough to know that there was no way he was sleeping tonight. 

By ten the next morning, all of Mark and Donghyuck’s friends had sent some kind of little “nbd! See you then!” email, which was nice except that they made Taeyong feel just that much more anxious about the fact that nobody else had responded, Kim Namjoon or Soobin or otherwise. But that anxiety was nothing compared to the panic that filled his chest like cement when he opened his desk drawer. 

“Hey Doyoung.” He pawed frantically through all the supplies and random pamphlets he had in there. 

“Hm?” 

“My pills aren’t in here.” 

“Really?” He came over and peeked into the drawer too. “They’re always in there.” 

“Yeah, I always put them here. I never put them anywhere else.” They definitely weren’t in the drawer though. Taeyong abandoned it and began turning over every item on his very neat desk. After that, he tore through the rest of the drawers and Doyoung followed behind, looking through the same things but much more calmly. Still no pill bottle.

“What the hell? I’ve never lost it before.” He took a few very deep breaths as his nausea rose up in his throat like a snake trying to choke him from the inside. “Oh my god, do you think somebody took them?” 

“No, I really don’t.” Doyoung shut his last drawer. “Sit down for a second, okay?” Taeyong sunk into his chair as Doyoung dropped to the floor and looked under the desk. “When was the last time you slept?” 

“Uh…” Taeyong rubbed his hands over his eyes and his whole head spun. “I think I got an hour or two Friday night, but I got seven hours on Thursday.” 

Doyoung turned on his phone flashlight and pointed it under the desk. “And have you eaten recently?” 

“I-I had crackers last night. But I’ve been drinking water, I promise.” 

“It’s not under there.” He stood back up as Taeyong dragged over his backpack and began digging through that. 

“I was wearing my blue hoody yesterday, maybe it’s in there.” 

“I’m going to look under your bed.” 

“Okay.” It wasn’t in his backpack. Taeyong stopped and took another few deep breaths and counted to ten. 

“You have class in like fifteen minutes,” said Doyoung. “Right? Same as mine?” 

“Yeah.” Next up was the dresser in case the bottle was in any clothes he was wearing the day before. 

“Maybe you should skip. I’ll skip too and make you soup or toast or something. You could sleep.” 

“I’m not going to be able to eat or lie down without throwing up, Doie, it’s really bad right now. I can barely handle water.” He pawed frantically through his top drawer. “We should both just go to class. Fuck, where the fuck is it?” It was pathetic the way his voice shook. 

“Is it okay if you take it a little late today?” 

“I-I mean, probably. I’ve never done that before…” He had to stop and take a few more deep breaths so he wouldn’t be sick, or curl up on the floor and scream. “Huuuuugh…” 

“We can keep looking for it after class. I’m sure it’s in here somewhere.” 

“I’ve never missed a day, Doyoung. Never.” 

“You won’t miss this one either, we’ll find it.” 

Taeyong buried his face in his hands. His body felt like it was made of twigs and soggy paper. “I’ve been taking these stupid fucking pills for twelve god damn years, since I was eight fucking years old, and I haven’t missed a single day. If you miss even one day and go back on them, it can make your side effects worse for weeks. I can’t take worse, Doyoung, I can’t.” 

Doyoung wrapped him up in a hug from behind. He wasn’t as big or as warm as the alphas, but it still made breathing easier. It wasn’t like he could go to the alphas about this anyway. He was lucky he could go to Doyoung. “We’ll find them, Yongie. And if we don’t, maybe it’s a sign from the heavens telling you to quit them.” 

Taeyong dug his fingernails into his forehead. “Hnnng… Don’t say that, please, you have no idea how much I wish I could.” 

“I’m sorry, you’re right,” Doyoung gave him an extra squeeze. “I shouldn’t joke about that. I’m sorry.” 

Taeyong’s throat closed up. “S’okay,” he whispered, and then panted in a few breaths and held it. His eyes smarted, vision blurred. 

“It’s going to be okay.” Doyoung nuzzled into his shoulder, even when it shook with stifled sobs. “It’s frustrating when you can’t find things, and it’s even worse when you’re already exhausted, but after class we’re going to have a lot more time, and we’ll find them. I promise.” 

Taeyong nodded. It took another minute or two, but he finally got his crying under control. There were tissues right there on the dresser, conveniently, so he could blow his nose. “Fuck, you know it’s bad when I start crying.”

“This wouldn’t be nearly as bad if you weren’t so tired, just think about that.” 

“Yeah, okay. We’re probably late, aren’t we?” He turned around and Doyoung’s eyes looked a little wet too. “Sorry,” he whispered, and patted Doyoung’s cheek. 

“Ugh, shut up, what are you sorry for? Being a wonderful person that I care about?”

“Oh my god, you shut up. Fuck I bet I look like shit now.”

Doyoung giggled and nodded. “You look so ugly. But like, ugly for you, so.” He rolled his eyes. “Still hot.”

Taeyong barely managed a giggle, but then he checked his watch, and that did not make him want to giggle at all. 

Both alphas were halfway under Jungwoo’s bed with a Swiffer and a bottle of Lysol as Taeyong and Doyoung hurried out of the building with their hoods up and their heads down so no one would ask about their puffy red eyes. “Bye guys!” He said in what was mostly a steady voice, and got twin shouts of “later, babe!” followed by some grumbles and scuffling. 

Taeyong hung onto Doyoung the entire way to class, because they were late as fuck and Taeyong’s shaky legs would have made him even later. “Stop slowing down, class has probably started by now.” 

“We’re already late. So what?” Doyoung pulled Taeyong’s arm over his shoulder and sped up. “I don’t want you falling on your face.” When they got to Taeyong’s building, he gave him a finally hug and jogged away. 

In class, Taeyong’s unfocused eyes stared blankly down at a doodle of a sloth flying a burger kite from a treehouse, when it crossed his mind that maybe Doyoung took them. 

But no way, he would never. He and Doyoung had talked about why he couldn’t stop taking them. About how it would ruin his reputation and his relationships and his hard-earned career. They both agreed it was bullshit, but oh well. 

They were always in that drawer. Taeyong always, always put them back in the drawer. Doyoung was the only one who knew about them, and Taeyong didn’t think Doyoung had ever seen him this bad before. Wait, yes he had. Like several times. Right? Did it really seem so bad this time that Doyoung might have felt the need to take them? There was no way. He would never do that. Never. 

Doyoung’s comment spun in his mind, the one about him quitting his pills. That had been pretty out of left field. 

The sloth stared up at him from the page, grinning too wide. Sometimes the lines looked like they moved. There was something about the contrast between all those black lines on white paper, lit up by iridescent lights, that made Taeyong feel sick to his stomach. He snapped the notebook closed. 

There was no way Doyoung would do that. It was ridiculous, just stressed out delusions of his stupid sleep deprived brain. 

Why would he say Taeyong should quit them? Why would he say that? 

Taeyong shoved his notebook in his bag and stood up. Blood rushed to his head. He had to steady himself on the desk. 

“Mr. Lee, are you feeling okay?” 

Taeyong did his best to shake the blackness out of his eyes. “Y-yeah, I mean no I’m… whoa stood up too fast, haha.” His vision cleared. The whole class blinked up at him. “I-I’m sorry.” He hurried up front, face burning, knees shaking. “I really don’t feel good, I’m so sorry,” he murmured quietly to the professor. Her eyebrows furrowed and she nodded. 

“You’re excused, I won’t mark you absent. You do look really sick, you should go to the health center.” 

“Thanks, I’m so sorry.” He hurried out of the classroom and stumbled for home. It was so far. Every step hurt his aching legs.

There was no way, Doyoung would never. He would never. It was just in his dirty clothes or something. He would check there first. Then his bedding. Maybe it had fallen down behind bed or something. It would be a bitch to dig everything out so he could look back there. Taeyong dreaded it already. Maybe it was actually better if it was stuffed in the back of Doyoung’s dresser drawer or something. 

Taeyong’s stomach lurched. He stopped to lean on a fence and breath. He would never. Doyoung would never. 

There was nobody downstairs, thank god. Nobody playing video games to see him stagger in, red eyed and panting, or drop his bag at the foot of the stairs and crawl up on all fours. Why not do it the only way that felt safe when no one was watching? Thankfully, the alphas weren’t in Jungwoo’s room either and their door was closed. They must have had class. No metal blaring out of Yuta’s room, so he was gone. Maybe Yuta could have taken the pills. It was possible that he’d guessed what Taeyong was, he was the only one with enough evidence. But maybe everybody had enough evidence now that they knew he was every alpha’s first pick during their cycle, and he could take a knot on his first try, without any practice. If Yuta had them, Taeyong had no idea how he would get them back.

But first he would check his dirty clothes. And under his bed. And maybe, maybe under Doyoung’s. 

He shoved open the door and froze. 

Johnny and Jaehyun stood in the middle of the room together with full laundry baskets and stripped bedding abandoned on the floor around them, but they weren’t cleaning. They stood still, looking down at something between them. When Taeyong came in, they both jumped. Their heads jerked up, eyes wide and jaws open, like kids caught with their paws in the cookie jar. Taeyong blinked between both their stunned, guilty faces, and then slowly looked down at the thing that Jaehyun held between them. A little orange pill bottle with a white cap sat smugly in the palm of Jaehyun’s hand with its label, printed with Taeyong’s name and all the prescription information, face up so Jaehyun could read it. Jaehyun was a Type Studies major. Of course he knew exactly what it was. 

“Taeyong, I’m so sorry.” 

Taeyong’s heartbeat throbbed in his ears. His stomach filled with ice. He tried to breath, but it turned into a gasp and his eyes burned. They knew. They knew they knew they knew and there was no lie he could tell that would change that now. 

“I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to.” Jaehyun approached him just as Taeyong’s vision blurred with tears, and his ice filled stomach rebelled up into his throat. He slapped a hand over his mouth. “We were just doing laundry and it was in your sheets.” 

One of Taeyong’s knees gave. He landed on the floor and heaved, but there was nothing to cough up, not even water. 

Jaehyun’s voice shook as he crouched down next to him and pet a hand down his back. “Taeyong, oh my god. I’m so sorry.” 

Taeyong heaved again, and he choked down a few ugly sobs as his tears dripped onto the rug. Of course the pills were in his sheets. If he wasn’t so tired, he would have remembered that he hid them there the day before when Johnny came in. How could he be so stupid? He had no one else to blame for the humiliation crawling under his skin but himself. They knew. They knew what he was and it made his skin crawl like he was naked in front of them. Fuck, what would they think of him? He prayed that at least Jaehyun wouldn’t see him differently.

Jaehyun wrapped an arm around him and gently pulled him closer. “It’s going to be okay, Taeyong. Breathe.” His voice shook, but it was still so tender and reassuring. Taeyong sat up just enough to tip himself into Jaehyun’s chest and let himself sob. Jaehyun would have his back. He had to. Jaehyun let out a doleful little moan and clutched Taeyong close. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.” 

“S’okay,” Taeyong whimpered like a pitiful, weak little omega, “M-my fault for not… hnng—putting them away.” There was a bump on the floor as Johnny knelt down next to them too, and Taeyong braced himself, curling tighter into Jaehyun’s chest. Johnny’s hand touched between Taeyong’s shoulders, still gentle, and gave him little rub that felt friendly.

“You’re an omega?” he asked, in a voice quieter and more delicate than Taeyong had ever heard from him before. 

Taeyong’s shoulders shook with a few more quiet sobs. His face burned as he bit his lip, squeezed his eyes shut, and nodded. He almost looked up to see Johnny’s reaction, but he was too scared. Johnny let out a long breath. 

“I think I’ve said some stupid shit, Taeyong. I’m really sorry.” 

“S’fine.” Taeyong whispered. He reached out for Johnny out of habit and was so relieved when Johnny caught his hand. Johnny shuffled closer until he was pressed right up against Taeyong’s side. He rubbed firm, soothing circles over Taeyong’s shoulders. 

“We probably should have guessed,” Jaehyun murmured in the same shaky voice. Taeyong winced. Of course they should have. Enough people had said he’d make a good omega that he was surprised they hadn’t guessed already. A few more sobs squeaked out. 

Johnny’s hand squeezed tight around his. “Jaehyun, don’t say that.” 

“I-It’s not just the nesting buddy thing.” Jaehyun sniffled. “The most common side effects of suppressants are nausea and insomnia. It’s just these, isn’t it?” They’re what makes you sick.” 

Taeyong let out a shaky sigh and nodded. 

Beside him Johnny gasped. “Oh my god.” His voice wobbled even more than Jaehyun’s. It sounded so strange, Taeyong finally looked up and was shocked to see Johnny’s eyes turn red and shiny. His face screwed up with a couple tiny little sobs. 

“Johnny,” Taeyong breathed, as Johnny blinked and then frantically wiped tears from his eyes. He stared down at the wet on his sleeves and looked just as shocked as Taeyong was. 

“That’s really it? You can’t sleep or eat because of those?” He pointed down at the little bottle, still clutched in Jaehyun’s hand against Taeyong’s shoulder. Taeyong reached up and took it. They knew. They were the first people outside his parents and Doyoung and some healthcare people to know.

“Yeah,” he whispered, and popped open the lid. “It’s just these.” Another tear dripped down his cheek but he wiped it away. 

“Oh my god, Yong.” 

“I c-couldn’t find them this morning… kinda flipped out actually.” He reached into the bottle and pulled one out as fast as he could, almost dropped it because of his shaking hands, and popped it into his mouth. Jaehyun’s face twisted into the world’s most handsome grimace and he looked away, and Johnny took a shuddery breath and blinked at the ceiling. Taeyong felt his cheeks burn again. “Sorry, m-maybe I should’ve g-gone to the bathroom or something.” 

“C’mere,” Johnny grumbled, and pulled Taeyong right up into his lap. His eyes left cold little wet spots on Taeyong’s shoulder. “I’m so fucking sorry for that shit I said. Taeyong, you have to stop taking them. They’re killing you. You have to stop.” 

“I can’t.” Taeyong sighed, “you know I can’t.” 

Johnny let out another few quiet sobs and held Taeyong so close. Taeyong was pretty sure his eyes left little wet spots on Johnny’s shirt too. Jaehyun crawled up behind Taeyong and wrapped his arms around both of them. For once, nobody growled. 

Doyoung found them there thirty minutes later, still piled up together on the floor with puffy red eyes.

“Found them,” Taeyong said, and waved the little orange bottle in the air. “Apparently they were in my sheets.” Doyoung looked between the three of them, face falling more and more. 

“Oh,” he sighed, “we should have skipped class.” 

“Yeah.” Taeyong struggled up out of Jaehyun’s lap with a little boost from both alphas and wrapped his arms around Doyoung as tight as he could. Doyoung squeezed him back, just as tight. He nuzzled into Taeyong’s hair. 

“You thought I took them, didn’t you?” he murmured, with so much warmth and understanding that Taeyong’s throat closed up all over again. 

“I’m s-s,” his apology twisted off into the ugliest sobs. The alphas shuffled out and shut the door behind them as Doyoung rocked him back and forth and pet his hair. 

“It’s okay, you delirious fuzzball.” He murmured as Taeyong bawled all over the SIgMu letters shirt that he had ironed and stitched together for Doyoung himself. “I love you. It’s okay.”


	10. Wednesday AM

When Taeyong was sixteen, his mother found him awake at three in the morning for the fourth night in a row, after months of yelling at him for staying up too late. He got the same lecture as usual. Something about going to bed on time and forming good habits and how his brain needed sleep to develop, and for the first time, Taeyong lost his temper back. He’d tried. He’d spent months lying awake until he had to get up and catch the bus the next morning. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep. He couldn’t. 

It was another few months of late nights and tearful arguments before his mom took him to the doctor. Taeyong hated going to the doctor. The scent of rubbing alcohol and the sight of people in scrubs or white coats made Taeyong’s stomach turn with nerves because one look through his forms and the doctors knew what not even Taeyong’s sister knew. “It’s your suppressants,” the doctor told them, as soon as he saw the word ‘omega’ written at the top of Taeyong’s check in sheet. “Almost seventy percent of male omegas on suppressants suffer from sever insomnia by the time they’re forty, but some a lot sooner.” 

His mother’s jaw clenched, and Taeyong’s cheeks burned with humiliation of facing what he was as his fingers dug into his bony knees. 

“Anything we can do to make it better?” she asked, but the doctor sighed and shook his head. 

“No existing sleep therapy has been shown to effectively combat the side effects of suppressants. There’s nothing we can do.” 

The expression on her face was one that Taeyong only saw when she caught his sister sneaking out or when she realized he’d been using her sewing scissors to cut wires for his science projects, but even more tight lipped. “Why has no healthcare professional mentioned this to us before?” she snapped. “Doctors have been talking to us about suppressants since he was born and no one has ever mentioned Insomnia.” Taeyong’s mouth popped open. She never spoke sharply with anyone but her own children, and only when they really deserved it. 

The doctor seemed just as shocked. His head jerked up from his clipboard, eyes narrowed, and he said, “the side effects are listed on the box.” And then he’d sent them home.

Taeyong never did read the box, and Taeyong’s mom never bothered him about his sleeping habits again. It was at least another year, after the nausea started, before Taeyong was brave enough to google safe search the words ‘male omega’ or ‘suppressants.’ He learned that if he already had insomnia, he was probably in for any number of neurological complications before he wasted away to an untimely death. But he also found that there were a few people who knew, and a few people who were furious, and a few people who wanted to help too. 

It was cool and dark in Taeyong’s room, and so late that Yuta’s metal had long faded to ambient prog rock and then turned off completely. Even the sounds of Mark and Donghyuck playing Call of Duty downstairs had faded to silence. Doyoung was at Ten’s, finishing an essay they both had due the next day, and since he’d spent so many hours taking care of Taeyong in the afternoon, he probably wouldn’t be finished until morning. But Taeyong wasn’t alone. His head was pillowed on Jaehyun’s chest. Johnny’s warm, heavy palm rubbed up and down his back. All three of them were squished into Taeyong’s bed in their thinnest t-shirts and most cuddle-appropriate boxers. Taeyong’s head swam with exhaustion. His whole body still shook with leftover nerves. Their warm, gentle touch held his brittle self together and soothed the worst of his aches and trembles. He had hoped telling the alphas a little about his experience would help him feel better. So far it hadn’t. 

Taeyong continued anyway. “It’s amazing what the internet can do.” He said. “When I was doing that googling, it was only a few radical omegas and activists condemning suppressants and people thought they were spouting conspiracies.”

Jaehyun hummed. “Of course, most of the medical community knew it was true, but they never cared enough to back the activists up,” he added. His fingers brushed through Taeyong’s hair.

“It’s been, what, three years since then? Maybe four? And I think the fact that suppressants are bullshit and deadly is pretty common knowledge among girls our age now.”

Jaehyun nodded. “In one of my classes we studied the way social media finally made that information accessible.”

“Why just girls?” Johnny whined. “It’s not like I haven’t been addicted to social media since I was, like, twelve.” 

“The info about suppressants was mostly spread on Tumblr,” said Jaehyun. 

“Ah,” said Johnny. It was silent for a few minutes before Taeyong realized he could put in his two cents without worrying about revealing too much. 

“Girls don’t get accused of secretly being an omega if they try to talk about it,” said Taeyong. “Or called gay for caring about things.” Taeyong’s body shivered violently for a few moments, and he had to clench his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering even though he wasn’t cold. Johnny tugged the green blanket out from under Taeyong and Jaehyun’s legs. He finally lay down, with his chest pressed up against Taeyong’s back and his head propped on his hand. He tucked the blanket around the three of them. Taeyong hadn’t been cold before, but Johnny’s heat and the weight of him, pushing Taeyong tighter against Jaehyun’s side, felt like sinking into a warm bath. The shivers stopped. His jaw unclenched. A soft moan drifted from deep in his chest, almost a whine, when Johnny bent and kissed his temple. 

“Have you ever thought about quitting them?” Johnny asked. 

“Every day,” Taeyong breathed. Johnny asked another question, and Taeyong didn’t bother answering, but he was sure Johnny would understand. For a few minutes, or maybe longer, it felt like sleep was right on the backs of his eyelids, but before he knew it, his eyes opened again. His body shook like a leaf between the two alphas, breath coming in pants to try and ease the way his stomach rebelled and his skin crawled. The alphas scents clogged his nose. 

“I n-need to get up.” He pushed feebly against Jaehyun’s chest and got a soft snore in return. Taeyong bit his nipple through his shirt.

“Ah-“ Jaehyun jerked and groaned. Taeyong wiggled. 

“Yong what…” 

Taeyong tried to take a deep breath and accidentally whimpered. Both alphas woke right up. “Baby, what’s wrong?” 

“Need…” He pushed against them. This time they let him go. His head swam as Johnny dragged him upright and Jaehyun caught him when his knees buckled as soon as they hit the floor. He still felt half asleep and the hallway was cold and the bathroom lights were blinding. Taeyong paced back and forth in front of the sinks until his stomach settled, and then he wandered into the arms of the closest alpha and let them bundle him up and take him back to his room. 

“Fuck, guess I’m awake now.” 

“You don’t look awake,” said Jaehyun. 

“I don’t think I should lie down again. Maybe I can try to sleep sitting up.”

“Yeah, we can make that work. Johnny?” 

“Pillows?” 

“Yeah.” Jaehyun hugged Taeyong close as Johnny began shoving every pillow in the room into place with a purposeful glint in his eye, including Doyoung’s armchair-looking pillow, and then ran to their room to get more. 

“You guys don’t have to babysit me like this. You should get some sleep.” 

“Mm…” Jaehyun’s arms tightened around his waist and he nuzzled into Taeyong’s hair. “Are you more likely to sleep with us or without us?” 

“With,” Taeyong said immediately, because Jaehyun’s heat was the only thing keeping him sane. 

Jaehyun let out a little sigh of relief. “Good, because I don’t want to leave you. It’s okay, I’m probably going to go into rut tomorrow and then I’ll have lots of time to sleep.” 

“Then I better get some rest.” Taeyong smudged a clumsy little kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to need it.”

Jaehyun let out a deep hum and slid his lips along Taeyong’s cheek to his mouth.

Of all the things they’d tried to calm Taeyong’s nerves that day, kissing Jaehyun helped the most. Taeyong wondered why they hadn’t tried it earlier. The pain and the nausea faded to the background. 

When Johnny came back, Jaehyun had him perched on the edge of the bed with his legs around Jaehyun’s waist, the green blanket draped over his shoulders, and their lips sliding languidly together. 

“I leave you two alone for thirty seconds,” Johnny grumbled. “Should I go?” 

“Yeah,” Jaehyun groaned, but Taeyong breathed “no,” and Jaehyun huffed. 

Johnny hopped up onto the bed. “Okay,” he said as he punched a pillow into place. “Let’s get situated. Jaehyun, you sit up against Doyoung’s chair pillow here, and Taeyong can lie on top of you however he wants.” 

Jaehyun shuffled into place and held out his arms, with a cute, squishy smile, dimples and everything. Taeyong crawled out from under the blanket and into his lap. He still wanted to lie on his side, so he tucked himself under Jaehyun’s arm with his legs flopped over Jaehyun’s thighs. 

“Yeah, this’ll be better.” 

“Cool.” Johnny went over and turned off the lamp before he crawled in with them and resumed their previous position, pressed up against Taeyong’s back, but also supported on an incline of pillows. 

“Are you two comfy?” 

“Yup,” said Johnny as he got the blanket spread out over them again.

Jaehyun murmured, “it’s like falling asleep in an armchair.” 

All four of their hands pressed against him somewhere, his back and his hip, his hair and his waist. Their bodies felt so warm and soft against his, but so strong. So secure. Taeyong’s fist twisted in Jaehyun’s shirt as his body tensed up with another uncomfortable shudder. 

“Rub his tummy,” Jaehyun grumbled at Johnny, and the warm hand on his hip slipped under Taeyong’s t-shirt and gave him slow, warm, gentle rubs. 

“Thanks,” Taeyong breathed. His aching eyes blinked across the dark room at the outline of the window, illuminated a soft orange by the streetlights in the Greek row parking lot. “Wow, I’m really awake now.” 

“Aw,” grumbled Jaehyun, who was clearly half asleep already.

“Jay, sing a lullaby.” 

“Uh…” Jaehyun took a deep breath and cleared his throat. 

“Are you serious?” 

“aaah-ah,” Jaehyun hummed melodically, warming up. It vibrated all smooth and deep against Taeyong’s ear. He giggled. 

“Rock-a-by Taaaeyong in the tree tooop…” 

“Oh my god.” 

“At parties on weekends the frat house will rooock.” 

Taeyong snorted and Johnny snickered against his back. 

“Whenthe neeeighbors get fussy the cops they will caaall…” 

“This is making me more anxious than sleepy.” 

“Suuucks for the frat house, Taeyong and all.” 

Taeyong giggled into Jaehyun’s shoulder. “I’m kind of impressed.” 

“That’s my little,” Johnny teased, and took his hand off Taeyong’s stomach to reach out of the blanket and pinch Jaehyun’s cheek. 

“Hey,” Jaehyun grumbled and let out a very tiny growl that just made Johnny coo. “Sometimes he sings shitty lullabies for me when he wants me to go the fuck to sleep, but they don’t usually rhyme. That was better than usual.” 

“You two are so cute.” Taeyong forced his eyes closed and focused on Johnny’s hand, which was back on his stomach, but he had to keep moving his head because there was an ache behind his eyes and nothing felt comfortable. 

“You know what always makes me sleep?” Johnny murmured softly against the back of Taeyong’s neck, only a few minutes later. 

“Oh don’t tell me.” 

“Johnny the man is fucking miserable, you really think he wants to jerk off right now?”

“I mean…” Johnny’s hand slid higher on Taeyong’s torso, pulling the hem of his shirt up his chest. “He wouldn’t have to do the work.” 

“Dude, what the fuck?” Jaehyun grabbed Johnny’s wrist. “He’s fucking sick, stop making moves.”

“You were kissing him like five minutes ago, shut the fuck up.”

Jaehyun growled. He was so hot when he did that.

“Mm, I haven’t gotten off in forever…” Taeyong slid his hands up Johnny’s arm to the place where Jaehyun’s fingers circled his wrist and pawed at them until Jaehyun let go. 

Johnny’s fingers continued their task, pushing Taeyong’s shirt all the way up to his armpits. The hem dragged up between their bodies until their t-shirts were the only things separating his skin from their abs. “How long has it been, baby?” 

“Weeks,” Taeyong groaned. He guided Jaehyun’s fingers to his nipple as Johnny’s hand swept back down his chest to his stomach and up again. Taeyong’s cheeks burned. He felt like a slut to have both their hands on him like this, but even when he felt so sick that everything made him more nauseous, this still felt good. It still made his fingers tingle and his thighs squeeze together. 

“Do you really want us to get you off?” Jaehyun whispered as he rolled Taeyong’s nipple gently between his fingers. “I feel like if we hold you too hard, we’re going to break you.”

“I want it,” Taeyong admitted. His cheeks burned more, but in a good way. Maybe it was because he was still pretty loopy on sleep deprivation. “It feels good. I-I don’t think I’ll be able to return the favor, and we’ll probably have to keep things pretty simple and slow, but if you’re okay with that then…” 

Jaehyun let out a little breathless laugh. Johnny pressed in behind him. His hand slid down over Taeyong’s hips and cupped his butt. Taeyong shuddered and pressed back into it. He should be so embarrassed, especially now that they knew what he was: a slutty little omega begging for it from two alphas at once, but it just made the palms of his hands tingle and his cock twitch.

“And I wouldn’t worry about breaking me,” he groaned. 

“Christ, baby.” Jaehyun let go of his nipple to tip his chin up and kiss him. “Who are you and what have you done with my SigMu president?” 

“Is it really that weird when I act like a slut?” He lifted his arms so Jaehyun could pull his shirt off.

“You literally just said you haven’t even jacked off in weeks,” said Johnny, “and before that never have I ever game we thought you were a virgin. You got lube somewhere?” 

Jaehyun’s hand froze on Taeyong’s nipple. “Dude, did you just go straight for his ass?” 

Johnny’s hand stopped too. “Just doing what I know how to do,” he grumbled. 

“You don’t know how to jerk off? Come on dude, it’s even the same angle.” 

Johnny huffed. “Listen, if you have no qualms about grabbing another guy’s dick then that can be your job. I’ve handled other people’s butts before, but I’ve never handled any dicks but my own.” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes. He curled into Jaehyun a little tighter as a wave of nausea killed the beginnings of his hard-on. 

Jaehyun scoffed. “If you have qualms about grabbing our boyfriend’s dick then maybe you should just go to sleep. He said simple and slow and you go right for anal? The man just wants an orgasm.” 

“Christ, I didn’t realize it was that big a deal.” Johnny’s hand slid boldly over Taeyong’s hip and engulfed his whole groin in heat and pressure. 

“What are you going to do during rut, huh? You really think you can make him cum without touching his dick or were you going to make him do that part?” 

“Of course I was going to touch his dick, dumbass. I’m touching it right now, are you happy?” The hand gripped Taeyong’s junk a little harder and Taeyong grunted and grabbed his wrist as Jaehyun stiffed up and growled.

“Get your filthy hand off him,” he snarled. 

“Guys,” Taeyong snapped, full mom voice. The growling stopped. They both froze. “Should I just go get myself off in the bathroom?” 

“No, sorry, we’ll be good.” Jaehyun dropped a kiss on his head. 

“Sorry,” Johnny mumbled. His grip loosened a little. 

Taeyong took a moment to make sure he wanted to continue. The wave of nausea ebbed with a few deep breaths and Johnny’s hand abandoning his crotch to pet his stomach instead. But once the stomach was okay again, he wanted the hand back on his dick.

“There’s lube somewhere in the back of my sock drawer.”

Johnny let out a smug little huff and gave the back of Taeyong’s neck a sloppy kiss before he scrambled out of bed. A very soft growl rumbled low in Jaehyun’s chest as Johnny climbed over him, and again when he climbed back. His hand tightened on Taeyong’s side. Johnny climbed back under the blanket and settled into his spot. Taeyong sighed in relief when the heat and weight of him pressed up against his back again. His breath hitched as Johnny pushed his briefs down over the curve of his ass until they got caught against Jaehyun’s lap at the tops of his thighs.

The lube bottle clicked. “Kinda wish you made slick,” he said.

“Johnny,” Jaehyun scolded. 

“What?” he snapped back.

Taeyong’s stomach clenched a little and he shivered. The way Johnny openly acknowledged his secret made him feel even more naked somehow, and Taeyong wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad feeling. “Maybe one day, if I ever find a job that won’t fire me for going off my meds.” 

Johnny sighed and gave the back of his neck a much softer kiss this time. Jaehyun hugged him close around his shoulders and cupped his cheek. His lips pressed gently to the top of Taeyong’s head, which was heart fluttering and bittersweet. Unfortunately, that was not the mood Taeyong was looking for when he had a couple of Johnny’s big, slick fingers sliding down the crack of his ass to rub heavily over his rim. Taeyong’s legs trembled. All the tension in his pelvic floor dissolved, getting him ready.

“I’m sure you’ll find one,” Jaehyun murmured. 

“Thanks,” Taeyong whimpered as Johnny’s fingers pressed him open. “O-oh…” It had been so long. He’d discovered how much he fucking loved this with Yuta and hadn’t done it since. The feeling of Johnny’s fingers sliding over his rim and the gentle pressure of being filled was just as delicious and overwhelming as the first time. Taeyong gasped and fisted his hands in Jaehyun’s t-shirt. 

Meanwhile, Jaehyun’s fingers carded gently through his hair and he peppered more tender, loving kisses over his hairline. So sweet. Taeyong had to get him on the same page somehow. 

“So are you secretly a slut?” Johnny purred. Jaehyun let out another impatient huff, but Taeyong laughed, a little breathlessly.

“I don’t have sex much but when I do it’s usually pretty slutty.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Mm… I had sex a few times with… aah…” his back arched as Johnny pumped his fingers steadily in and out, and then shuddered when his stomach protested and relaxed again. “…with one of my sister’s friends. I think she was three years older than me? That was a lot in high school.”

“Did you have to keep it a secret?” 

“Yeah, we had to sneak around but… mmm… you know how good I am at lying.” 

Jaehyun pulled back to look down at him. “What? Lying?” 

“Johnny, do you know what you’re looking for in there?” 

“No. I’ve only done this with girls.” 

This time Jaehyun made a smug huff. Taeyong gave his nipple a little pinch. “it’s on the front, a few inches in. That’s all I know. I’ve never done it ether. Be gentle.”

“You got it, babe.” The fingers stopped the gentle thrusting and only moved to change angles and rub gently. Taeyong felt the pressure change a little as he pressed against his walls. “Tell me more about slut Taeyong adventures,” he murmured, with another kiss to Taeyong’s neck. 

“Then I didn’t fuck anybody until Yuta. And I was really slutty with him.” 

That got Jaehyun’s attention. He stopped kissing and his hand slid down to the side of Taeyong’s neck. 

“Mm,” Johnny’s leaned heavily in over Taeyong’s back and pressed him down into Jaehyun. “I don’t know if I want to hear about that.” 

“I do,” Jaehyun growled. Taeyong kissed whatever spot on his chest happened to be under his lips. 

“You want the whole story? It’s pretty hot.” 

“Yeah…” Jaehyun’s hand finally left his shoulder and traveled down his bare chest. 

“I told you we didn’t talk… Oh Johnny that’s it…” A little tingle started at the base of his cock. Taeyong let out a little moan and pulled a knee closer to his chest. 

“You said he didn’t really ask,” Jaehyun prompted. 

“He didn’t ask, he was desperate and feral. I opened the door to slide in some Cliff bars and naked, growling Yuta grabbed me and dragged me inside.” 

Both alphas froze. 

“He did what?” 

“Mm…” Taeyong took a moment to arch his hips back against Johnny’s stationary fingers and remember Yuta’s wild, dazed eyes and fierce kisses as he manhandled Taeyong down into the soft dark floor of his tent. “Yeah that part was kinda fucked but you’ll like the next part.”

“I better,” Jaehyun growled, “because if I don’t, I’m going to go visit him right now.”

“Not if I get there first,” Johnny growled. His fingers slipped out of Taeyong’s butt. Taeyong may have been dizzy and shaky, but he was still quick. He whipped his hand back and grabbed Johnny’s wrist. 

“Put ‘em back.” 

Johnny settled slowly back down behind him and slid his fingers back inside. Taeyong let out a happy moan. “He backed right off when I slapped him.” 

“You had to slap him to get him to stop?” 

“He probably would have responded well to a polite request, but I tried slapping first. And then he cried.” 

“Ha, Yuta cried?” Johnny’s fingers thrust in and out of him a few times. “Awesome.” 

“It was pitiful.” Taeyong dragged Jaehyun’s hand down his chest and pushed it between his legs. Jaehyun’s fingers wrapped gently around his half hard shaft and gave him a gentle stroke. “I was his nesting buddy, remember? How would you feel if I slapped you in the face this week?” 

“Sad, but like, I’d deserve that if I tried to force myself on you.”

“He felt bad, that’s one of the reasons he cried. There was lots of apologizing and then lots of begging. I almost left anyway. I don’t exactly sleep around, and having sex with an alpha in rut on a whim was probably a bad idea but… hnng…” Both alphas touched a good spot at the same time and Taeyong’s jaw dropped open. 

“But?” 

“But he’s so hot,” Taeyong breathed and then moaned when both alpha’s gentle hands turned rough. Johnny growled and crushed down on him, fingers punching in, and Jaehyun fingers squeezed around his cock. 

“Fuck, baby, that’s just mean.” He clutched Taeyong so tight against his chest that it hurt. 

“Okayokay that’s good, that’s good let’s relax…” He sighed as their grips loosened. If he’d been feeling better, he would have let them do that all night, but he had to curl up and breathe deep to sooth his stomach and his aching body. He basked in the feeling of the alphas’ hands on him. His dick swelled in Jaehyun’s fingers as he remembered crawling close to Yuta as the alpha cried, all curled up on the floor, and whispering comforting words as he shed his clothes. Then coaxing Yuta to touch him again, and then Yuta clinging and kissing with his hands shaking as he held himself back because he could tell Taeyong was still scared. 

“Sorry about that,” Jaehyun breathed. Taeyong drifted back to the present like he’d been dreaming and shook his head. 

“I liked it, just not up for it tonight. Sorry for teasing.” 

“I bet Yuta was rough,” Johnny said behind him, voice deep and gravely. 

“Oh come on.” Jaehyun whined. 

“He was. He taught me I liked it rough.” 

Both alphas tensed up again. Jaehyun fist clenched hard against Taeyong’s arm so he wouldn’t squeeze him again, and Johnny buried his face in Taeyong’s neck and bit just hard enough to hurt a little. 

Jaehyun took a very deep breath and relaxed again. “Maybe we should stop talking about Yuta.” 

“Really? You don’t want to hear about how desperate I was for his knot?”

“N-not really,” Jaehyun let go of his dick and his hand flexed over his thigh instead.

“Just imagine it was you,” Taeyong whispered. His head spun like he was still half dreaming. He’d replayed these moments so often in his head, running them back through his foggy, sleep deprived brain was like watching a familiar movie. He could almost see Yuta’s face twisted in frustration, his lip caught in his teeth, and feel the way his whole body shook as he pressed his knot up against Taeyong’s rim. Taeyong shivered as he remembered the way every last one of his nerves had lit up with need. 

“P-please,” he whispered.

“I can’t hear you baby, what?”

Ah crap, that was Johnny’s hand, not Yuta’s knot. Taeyong took a deep breath and blinked his eyes into focus. He was in his own bed with Jaehyun under him and Johnny’s over him.

“You can imagine you were the one who wouldn’t put your knot in me because you thought I couldn’t take it, even when I begged.” 

_”Please,”_ dream Taeyong sobbed as he clawed at dream Yuta’s shoulders, legs straining to pull him in closer, but the alpha wouldn’t budge, even though he whimpered and wrapped a shaking fist around his knot. It stayed pressed tantalizingly to Taeyong’s rim, big and hot and hard. Taeyong’s already full passage ached with need. He knew Yuta could feel the way he throbbed around him. _“Please, please knot me please I need it so bad, Yuta please!”_

“God, that’s almost worse,” Jaehyun groaned. His hand dragged down his thigh until they caught on his boxers, bunched by his knees. He peeled those off the rest of Taeyong’s legs and left him completely naked between his two alphas.

“You really wanted his knot?” Johnny growled. The fingers punched in faster. Almost too fast, just shy of overwhelming. “Even though you’d never taken one before?”

“I wanted it so bad,” he slurred, and gripped Jaehyun’s shirt as the whole room spun around him. “M-maybe it was something the suppressants don’t cover up.”

Both alphas groaned, low and growly. Their hands gripped everywhere. Their bodies pressed in around him.

“But you wouldn’t put it in, so I flipped us over and sank onto it myself.” 

“ _Fuck_ Yong.” Jaehyun hand squeezed his thigh so tight that Taeyong whimpered. He immediately let go and grabbed something else instead.

Johnny gasped and stiffened up. “That’s my arm, dude, not Taeyong.”

Jaehyun huffed. “I grab your arm all the time.”

“It’s not all the time right now. Let go.” His fingers slipped out of Taeyong again as he tried to shake Jaehyun off and Jaehyun’s arm flexed as he hung on. Taeyong got jostled around. He lost his grip on his happy little fantasy dreamland where he sobbed and shook on Yuta’s knot while below him Yuta writhed and wailed with his eyes rolling back.

“Right now? When we’re getting off the same guy somehow its weirder if I touch you?”

“Yeah it’s fucking weird to have you touching me while we’re both hard. Are you saying you grabbed me on purpose?” Johnny tried to yank his arm out of Jaehyun’s grip and Taeyong got shoved.

“N-no it was an accident, it’s just weird that you’re being weird about it.”

“I think you two should kiss,” Taeyong grumbled.

Jaehyun let go of Johnny immediately. “Wh—us??”

Behind him Johnny pulled back so fast that Taeyong shivered with a rush of cold air. “My little?” he gasped in horror.

“It’d be hot,” Taeyong reached back and shoved Johnny’s hand towards his butt again. “Might stop you from bickering. I wanna sleep, are you guys going to get me off or not?”

“Sorry, baby.” Jaehyun kissed him on the head and finally wrapped his fingers around Taeyong’s cock again. Johnny’s fingers pushed gently back into his body. They thrust in and out, sliding over the spot that made Taeyong’s whole core radiate pleasure. He closed his eyes and moaned.

“Bro I’m barely even your little, you literally only pull that card when it’s convenient. Your little is Mark, I’m just your roommate.”

Dream Taeyong and Yuta drifted back. Yuta rolling them back over, kissing tears off Taeyong’s face as he ground his knot into Taeyong’s pliant body.

“Are you saying you want to kiss me?”

Taeyong replayed that moment again from the top, focusing on the way he couldn’t think with Yuta’s knot in him. The way being locked on Yuta’s knot felt like being a kitten with its scruff in its mother’s jaws. But like, sexier.

“Fuck no, I just want you to know you sound stupid when you pull that card.”

This time Taeyong grunted and whacked his hand against Jaehyun’s chest before he replayed it from the top again.

“Fucking focus, Jeong,” Johnny growled. Jaehyun growled back. Taeyong closed his eyes and heard Yuta growl against his neck, felt him run his hands up and down Taeyong’s body, felt him fill him up and press against all the right places. It felt so good.

“God,” he’d whimpered. “Fuck, _Yuta…_ ”

“Yong, what?” Jaehyun whined, squeezing too tight again. “Seriously?”

“Oh sorry, I’m like, literally hallucinating right now.” He gave Jaehyun’s chest an apologetic kiss.

Johnny’s deep laugh vibrated against his back. “You haven’t slept in like four days, you can moan whatever you want.”

“It still sucks,” Jaehyun muttered.

“Yeah, but we can deal.”

“Blow my fucking mind this weekend and next time I’ll be hallucinating your knot instead of his.”

That got them moving again. Taeyong closed his eyes and immediately lost track of what they were doing. It just felt good. He lost track of dream Yuta and Taeyong too. His stomach hurt and his body ached, his head spun and throbbed, but there were parts of him felt deeply good. Two sexy alphas played with his naked body, and that was distracting enough to get his brain to finally shut down.

He shivered sometimes, but his breath evened out. He didn’t know how long it took, he wasn’t conscious often enough to keep track, but he woke himself up moaning a couple times, and his eyes almost opened when he came in a beautiful wash of pleasure that filled him up so good that for a second he couldn’t even tell how shit he felt. He didn’t remember anything after that. 

At seven in the morning, the door cracked open and Doyoung stumbled in with deep bags under his eyes. Taeyong put a finger to his lips and pointed at the alphas. When Taeyong slipped out from between them that morning, neither had woken up, and sometime while Taeyong was in the shower, they’d drifted together. Johnny’s head lay on Jaehyun’s shoulder, with Jaehyun’s cheek against his hair. Jaehyun had his arms wrapped around him. Their legs were all tangled together. Johnny’s hand rested on the top of Jaehyun’s thigh.

Doyoung’s jaw dropped and his tired face lit up.

“Aww!” he whispered and then covered his mouth with his hand and stifled giggles. “Did you…” he mouthed, and then mimed snapping photos. Taeyong waved his phone and nodded.

“So many,” he mouthed back, and then pointed to make sure Doyoung had noticed the hand on Jaehyun’s thigh. He burst into smothered giggles again and nodded.

Doyoung grabbed his toothbrush and motioned Taeyong out of the room with him. “That’s so fucking cute,” he whispered as soon as they shut the door behind them. “How long have they been like that?”

“Like, an hour I think. They keep getting snugglier.” Taeyong opened up his camera to show Doyoung the journey that had started with just Johnny’s head on Jaehyun’s shoulder and progressed through a couple sleepy squeezes and legs shuffling around until they’d arrived at the cuddle they were at now.

“Wow, adorable. They’re going to be so embarrassed.” He loaded toothpaste on his toothbrush. “So did a bed full of alphas help you sleep?”

“Mmm…” Taeyong smiled a little too wide. “Yup, a good orgasm definitely helped too.”

Doyoung choked on his toothpaste and had to spit and start over.

“I got like maybe one good hour, and then one shitty hour, and I got woken up by nausea and stress dreams. The usual.”

Doyoung paused his brushing. “Did you eat?”

Taeyong sighed and shook his head. His stomach practically burned with hunger. But just the thought of eating made him want to throw up. “Just the couple of crackers you got me to choke down last night. I kept them down though, that’s good.

“I guess that’s better than nothing,” Doyoung grumbled, and put his toothbrush in his mouth. Taeyong waited for him to be done. 

“You should go to the health center,” Doyoung said when he was done. “I think we’ve reached that point.”

“Yeah, I know.” Taeyong held up his hands and could barely get his eyes to focus enough to see them shake. “I have one class at eleven that I absolutely cannot miss, but it’s only an hour and after that I’m going to the health center to get some sleeping pills or something.” 

“Taeyong I really think you should skip. Jaehyun and Johnny have to skip today too since at least one of them is probably going into rut, maybe you can get more cuddles and nap a little.”

“I actually can’t skip. I’m a discussion leader for this chapter. I’m going to do a shit job, but a C is still better than a zero.” He sighed and tried to remember literally anything about the reading he as supposed to discuss. At least he had time to give it another skim before class. “I better get all my sleeping done before Jaehyun’s hits rut today. This morning I’ll get Jungwoo moved into my room and whatever alpha smells better into Jungwoo’s room.”

“Jungwoo would prefer Jaehyun.”

“Okay.” He made a note on his phone about that because he doubted his brain would hold that info for long. “If I’m emergency sleeping on the studio couch while they’re in rut, will you make sure they get fed?”

“Of course, I’ll take care of it.” He splashed some water on his face. “I’m just going to pee and then I’m going the fuck to sleep. Maybe you should try to sleep again too.”

Taeyong shook his head. “I’m wide awake and I feel like shit. It’s not happening.”

While Doyoung disappeared into a stall, Taeyong wandered back to his room with one hand braced on the wall and checked his email. Still nothing from Kim Namjoon or any of the tall boys. His stomach clenched and he had to stop in the hall when his legs shook.

The alphas hadn’t moved while they were gone. They were still all tangled together, breathing deeply. If anything, Johnny’s hand had just slid farther up Jaehyun’s thigh and pushed Jaehyun’s boxers up to the crease of his hip. Taeyong dropped very quietly into his desk chair and started on that reading. His eyes would only focus on it for a few seconds at a time, even with his glasses. In his notebook he found a neatly written page of notes on the readings, with discussion questions and points to hit for each one. He didn’t remember writing them, and he couldn’t read them either. His body ached so much that even sitting in the chair hurt.

Doyoung shuffled back into the room with a soft click and snap of the doorknob. “How’s the homework,” he whispered. 

“I need coffee,” Taeyong groaned out loud, and then slapped a hand over his mouth. Both of them turned to stare at the alphas. 

They were still for a second, but then Jaehyun took a deep breath and hummed quietly when he tried to shift and couldn’t. One of his hands drifted sleepily up to Johnny’s hair. Doyoung also took a deep breath, but his came out all broken and shaky as he desperately muffled his laughter. 

Johnny’s eyes fluttered open a little and closed again. His hand slid up so high into the leg of Jaehyun’s boxers that Taeyong couldn’t honestly call that his thigh anymore. Doyoung wheezed. Taeyong sank his teeth into his hoody collar to keep himself quiet. 

Johnny’s eyes popped open.

“Huh…” he squirmed.

Jaehyun’s eyes flew open too.

“Th-fuck—”

Doyoung and Taeyong both burst out laughing. The alphas blinked blearily at each other with dawning horror and then the both shoved at once, and kept shoving. Taeyong’s bed turned into a flurry of flailing long limbs and fluffy hair and green blanket with an occasionally angry little snarl.

“Why were you touching my leg?” Jaehyun whined as he shoved Johnny’s face into the mattress.

“Probly thod u wer Taeyong, geddoff.” Johnny kicked him and scrambled to grab his flailing arms.

Jaehyun won, but only because Johnny fell off the bed, and then both of them stumbled off to go shower. Doyoung began snoring as soon as his head hit the pillow, the lucky bastard, and Taeyong was left to squint at his homework and pray for a nice cup of Johnny’s special coffee until Johnny came up to deliver the bad news that they had run out. 

Taeyong did manage to get Jungwoo moved into his room. Just a few changes of clothes and his bathroom stuff. They got Jaehyun’s bedding on Jungwoo’s bed. Taeyong studied enough to get by and left a scheduled checklist of rut meals with food suggestions on the fridge for whoever was available to feed the alphas, and then the need for coffee became too great. Taeyong woke Doyoung up just to help him take his pill because after twenty minutes of staring down the bottle, he realized he physically could not. 

“Wanna see how I make my cats take pills?” Doyoung growled with his eyes so puffy and squinty that Taeyong couldn’t tell if he even had them open.

“Not really?”

Doyoung put him in a headlock, shoved the pill all the way to the back of his tongue, and then covered Taeyong’s mouth and said “Shh, shh,” until he finished gagging and swallowed. “Good boy.” He hissed. 

“Your poor fucking cats, oh my god.” 

“Poor me. If you were really my cat, you would have bit the shit out of me.” He flopped back down and yanked the blankets over his head. “Now go away. I’m sleeping.”

Taeyong tucked his pills safely into Doyoung’s drawer so he could keep an eye on them while Taeyong was away, and then staggered through campus to the only place where he could get the prescription dose of espresso that he needed: Starbucks.

The trip across campus only illustrated just how badly he needed it. He was winded by the end of the first block, and he tripped a few times. Halfway there he realized he’d been walking with his eyes closed when he ran into a fence. At least he didn’t feel too sick. Well enough to keep down coffee for a bit anyway.

Apparently everybody on campus needed a prescription dose of caffeine, because the student center was absolutely packed. Taeyong shuffled in the door and did his best to stand up straight and look alive instead of like a panting, stumbling, hunched over zombie. He had a frat to represent after all. Across the room, one of Mark and Hyuck’s friends, Chenle, grinned and waved while their other friend, Jisung, turned pink and gave him half a nervous wave too. Taeyong waved back and struggled to choose between greeting them and getting in line until he saw a couple of familiar guys standing over in the café area.

Kim Namjoon and another BTS brother, Min Yoongi, huddled together in the middle of a chat. They were always kind of intimidating. Namjoon was as tall as Johnny and almost always better groomed. His alpha musk had notes of old books and cedar. These two were never caught in hoodies. They were always either in thrift store chic, sweaters and corduroys and soft old t-shirts with collared shirts and leather shoes, or dressed in sharp, tailored, artist blacks. They often already looked like the pretentious music producers that Taeyong would have to impress when he applied for jobs. He looked down at his own old jeans and SigMu pullover with a dress shirt for class presentation combo. Oh well. He swallowed down another massive swell of anxious nausea and headed boldly in their direction.

“H-hey Namjoon,” he called when he got close enough. “You guys got a minute?”

Namjoon swung around with the coldest look of judgmental indignance that Taeyong had ever been leveled with, like he couldn’t believe his conversation had been interrupted. Taeyong froze. He got that icy hot, full body wash of total mortification one gets when a high-stakes social interaction goes terribly, terribly wrong. For a couple seconds he stood with his knees locked and his jaw clenched and wondered if he was going to have to go heave into a trash can right in the middle of the crowded room.

“Uh…” said Namjoon, “Sorry, you are?”

Taeyong’s jaw dropped. The mortification stopped, but only because he was so shocked that his brain may have done a hard reboot. Then he snapped his mouth shut again as his face flushed with even more embarrassment.

Yoongi’s palm smacked loudly against his forehead. Taeyong jumped.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Joon,” Yoongi groaned, and Namjoon turned and blinked at him. “That’s Lee Taeyong.” Namjoon blinked some more. Yoongi sighed. “President of the IFC? And Sigma Mu?” Namjoon squinted up at the ceiling like that rang a bell. Yoongi shook his head. “He’s kind of a big deal in the department? We’ve had classes with him for years.” Namjoon’s shoulders hunched in and his eyes shifted to the left and right. Yoongi massaged his temples. “Come on, Joon, his studio is literally right across the hall from yours.” 

It was a small comfort that Namjoon now looked just as flushed as Taeyong was. “I-I’m sorry, I’m bad with, like, names and faces and stuff.”

“It-‘s fine,” Taeyong said, and winced at the nervous wobble in his voice. “It’s not like we interact much, I think we’ve only spoken like two… or four times…”

“In Namjoon’s defense, you usually look a lot better than this,” Yoongi grumbled. Taeyong gave up. He dropped his face into his hands and let out a long, shaky groan to relieve some of the nerves.

“Wanna sit down?” said Namjoon, and Taeyong just nodded. Apparently they’d been standing in the café because they’d spied a table that was about to open up. Taeyong slumped down into a chair and stared longingly at Yoongi’s steaming coffee mug.

“Sorry again,” Namjoon said with a nervous little smile that was almost as cute and dimply as Jaehyun’s.

Yoongi shook his head. “Namjoon hit you with the resting bitch face, didn’t he?”

“Is that what that was?”

“I’m sorry,” Namjoon whined.

“S’fine…” God, he wished he had coffee. Or literally any amount of sleep. He could probably fall asleep now if he tried. Maybe he should just put his head down on the table and sleep through class. Yoongi relaxed back in his seat and gave his coffee a very careful little sip.

“So what’s up?” Namjoon asked and Taeyong blinked hard and tried to remember.

“Sorry,” he grumbled, “I’ve gotten maybe four hours of sleep in the last…” Yoongi tipped the cup very slowly, “five days.”

Yoongi’s hand jerked and he spluttered and threw his chin over the edge of the table to keep dribbles of coffee off his cardigan. “Oh fuck that was hot.”

“Are you okay?” asked Namjoon, and Taeyong also waited for Yoongi to answer that question until he realized they were both looking at him.

“Huh? Uh. No?” He shook his head to focus and shifted in his seat just to have a reason to move. “I’ve got insomnia, it happens sometimes. I’m going to the health center after class.”

“You’re going to class?” Yoongi barked. “Dude, you look like you’re dying.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well. If I didn’t go to class whenever I was sleep deprived I would never get my degree. Uh… I had something really important to talk to you about… fuck what was it…”

“You sent me some emails, right?”

Taeyong remembered the emails. He nodded. “Yeah, about… something about Soobin…”

“You wanted our recruitment schedule, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah that was it.” He sat up too quick and then deflated when his back ached and his stomach protested. “Uuuuuugh…” Namjoon reached over and gave his shoulder a little pat. Yoongi slid him his coffee.

“That’s got like four shots of espresso in it. I hope that’s enough.”

“Ohmygodthankyou.” Taeyong dragged it towards him and put his forehead right on the lid. Yoongi had been right. It was really hot. “K, so ours is Saturday at seven, when’s yours?”

“Uh…”

The heat seeped into his forehead and started to hurt but his neck also hurt too much to pick his head up. His arms hurt too much to help.

“I don’t know, don’t look at me,” said Yoongi. “I just figured whenever it was, I’d be at the house then anyway.”

“I was going to ask Seokjin on Friday in case it was then,” said Namjoon.

Taeyong lifted his head and looked between them and wondered how the fuck a frat with only one alpha was even less functional than a frat with five. Yoongi had the decency to crack a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

“I’ll text Seokjin now.” Namjoon whipped out his phone.

“You said this was about Soobin?” Yoongi asked, and Taeyong squinted at the coffee like he could will it to be cooler.

“Did I?”

“They don’t want us to overlap because we’re competing for Soobin and Yeonjun and their friends,” Yoongi said and jabbed Namjoon’s arm. “Don’t give it to him.”

Taeyong’s jaw dropped.

Thankfully Namjoon scoffed. “Shut up, we play fair.”

“I know, I’m kidding.”

Namjoon set the phone in the middle of the table until it lit up again with a text from Kim Seokjin in all caps. They all leaned over it. Both of the other boys scoffed. “Can you believe this guy?” Yoongi asked Taeyong, and Taeyong shrugged.

“I can’t read.”

They both blinked at him.

“You try to read after five days without sleep.”

“Touché,” said Yoongi. “It says ‘what do you mean when is it you’re the president why don’t you know.’”

“He’s got a point,” said Taeyong. He stared down at the cup while Namjoon texted furiously.

“I told him it was for another frat president and he still won’t tell me. Hold on, let me beg a little more, I’m sure he’ll come around.”

Yoongi checked his watch. “Class in five.”

“Fuck,” said Namjoon and Taeyong at once.

He did manage to heave himself up, but had to sit back down and wait for his blood pressure to recalibrate. Once his vision cleared he tried again, more slowly this time, and then bent very slowly to put his backpack back on, and pick up Yoongi’s coffee. Both BTS dudes were still there, watching him closely like they were ready to grab him if he fell over.

“Okay, I’m good.”

Yoongi raised his eyebrows. “If you say so. We’re going that way.” He pointed vaguely to the right. “You?”

“Yeah, me too.” He followed them out of the café. The place was too crowded to walk three at a time, Namjoon walked a little ahead, still on his phone.

It was cool enough outside that his wonderful coffee gift would probably be a drinkable temperature by the time he got to class, and then he had to chug it, and make it through one hour, and then drag himself all the way up a hill to the health center, and then probably back down at least as far as the music building, but then! Then he could sleep. Hopefully.

“He’s telling me to go look on Facebook but I can’t remember my login so it’s not on my phone.” Namjoon huffed and slipped it back into his pocket. “I’m really sorry. I’ll look after class and email you right away.”

“Okay…” Taeyong took a deep breath as his head swam so hard he had to catch himself on the door handle as they left the building. He noticed his heart was racing.

“Taeyong are you okay?” 

“Just… Need to get to class so I can sit down.” They reached to top of the stairs down to the sidewalk, a good dozen or so cement steps. The handrails were on the wrong side, blocked from him by students marching up in the opposite direction. Namjoon and Yoongi started down. Taeyong took a brave step. Just stairs, he did this all the time. He took another and his throat closed. They seemed to stretch out beneath him, their ugly jagged grey teeth getting longer and steeper by the second. His heart thudded in chest. He tried to take the next step, but he couldn’t feel his feet. Yoongi’s coffee slipped from his hand. Namjoon yelped and whipped around. Taeyong saw his eyes widen. The world spun, the jagged teeth of the stairs warped and climbed up the edges of Taeyong’s rapidly darkening vision until all he could see was black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick fic rec! GinForInk's sexy Jungkook/Jaehyun rival gym bros oneshot, [Leg Day](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783238)


	11. Wednesday PM, Thursday

Papery sheets, cold air, and the strong, sterile scent of needles and tongue depressors could only mean one thing. Taeyong cracked his eyes open. Above him, a plastic pouch full of fluid dangling from a metal hook glinted in the light of somebody’s cell phone. A tube from the bottom hung down and ended under a bandage on Taeyong’s arm. The few times Taeyong had collapsed and woken up in the hospital before, it was his mom curled up next to him in the hospital bed, but this time it was Ten. Taeyong could tell by the smell of his shampoo and because he was swiping through Grindr. He had his cheek leaned against Taeyong’s shoulder and their arms looped together. 

Taeyong took a deep breath. He was at school, probably in the health center, not the hospital. It was… Wednesday. He’d been walking to class with the BTS guys. It probably wasn’t eleven in the morning anymore. “K, I’m awake.” 

Ten lifted his phone up. “Is he cute? I can’t decide.”

On the screen, some guy with long eyelashes in a loudly patterned, short sleeved button up mugged at them from the phone screen with a small dog under his arm. Taeyong squinted at the brightness. “Yeah very cute. The guy is okay too.”

Ten giggled and snuggled closer. “You’re right, I should swipe right and meet the dog.” Dog and man disappeared and were replaced by some cute guy named Daniel who was in Taeyong’s art history class and Taeyong had been sure he was straight. “Wait, it’s ten thirty?”

“Mmhm.”

“At night?”

“Yup. Doyoung should be back soon, then we can take you home.”

Taeyong closed his eyes again. It didn’t feel like Wednesday. It didn’t even feel like school. He didn’t feel like him. “I’m so disoriented,” he groaned. “Ugh, I hate doctor’s offices.”

“Really? You don’t seem like the type to hate doctor’s offices. You’re always so practical.” Ten locked his phone and put it down. The room plunged into darkness. “There,” he murmured. “Now you could be anywhere.”

That wasn’t true though, the place still smelled like a nightmare. All the sleep he’d just gotten had mostly calmed his stomach, but the smell was going to make it bad all over again.

“Your hair smells good. Come here.” He slipped his arm out from Ten’s grip and put it around him instead, so he could pull him close and mash his face against the top of Ten’s head. The position reminded him of Jaehyun. It would have been so nice to have him there too, big and warm enough to engulf him and block the little dark room out completely. But Jaehyun couldn’t leave the house today. If not for the impending rut, both alphas would probably be here, taking care of him. “So what happened?”

Ten squeezed an arm around his waist. He wasn’t alpha sized, but he was comfortable and familiar too. “What do you remember?”

“Ugh, that question makes me nervous. I was at Starbucks with some BTS brothers. I think I remember leaving with them.” He’d had a coffee, but he didn’t remember buying coffee. But he kind of remembered Yoongi giving him his coffee when he told him how little he’d slept. That was sweet of him.

Ten nodded. “That tracks. You passed out on the campus center stairs and Kim Namjoon caught you.”

Taeyong shivered. “Which stairs?”

“The tall cement ones outside.”

Goose bumps prickled along Taeyong’s arms. “Fuck. Namjoon caught me?”

“Yup! He just said you seemed kind of out of it and then you took two stairs and fell, but he was right under you.”

That was a miracle in itself. From what Taeyong had gathered from their interactions, he was kind of surprised Namjoon hadn’t panicked and pushed Yoongi out of the way instead and let him tumble.

“He showed up at the house this morning with coffee splashed halfway up his pants and told Johnny and Jaehyun what happened.”

“Oh no.” Taeyong put a hand over his face even though it was dark. “I must have dropped Yoongi’s coffee on him. That’s so embarrassing.”

“Why do you always have hot alphas to swoon onto, huh? Where’s my hot alpha?”

The door popped open and flooded the place with light again. A sweet-looking nurse and Doyoung came in.

“Is he awake?”

“He just woke up.”

The nurse gave him a couple nights worth of sleeping pills and shined a light in his eyes, checked his blood pressure. Taeyong did his best to zone out again. She was nice, but she was a stranger who probably knew he was an omega.

They walked out by eleven. Ten stopped cracking jokes the third time Taeyong didn’t hear him and settled for holding his hand instead. It wasn’t until they got to the house that he realized that the car Doyoung was driving them in was Johnny’s. It smelled like him. Taeyong looked forward to the hug Johnny probably had waiting for him at home.

Yuta was out back when they pulled in, lounging in an Adirondack chair in the dark with Taeyong’s green blanket in his lap. He slipped his phone in his pocket and stood. “Welcome home,” he said as Taeyong stumbled clumsily out of the car because his feet didn’t seem to be on right. “Feeling okay?”

“I feel… dazed and confused, mostly.”

Yuta draped his blanket over his shoulders. It was warm and fluffy and smelled like it had been freshly washed. “Better get you inside,” he murmured and gave Taeyong’s back a gentle rub.

Doyoung locked the car with a loud click. Ten ducked under arm and snuggled up. “Your kids are all waiting to hug you.”

“Aw…” Taeyong wasn’t sure he was up for any momming, but he would try.

Yuta strode ahead to fold up the chair, and then waited for them to catch up. “Way to make the alphas jealous one last time, by the way,” he said with a grin. “They didn’t like hearing that a different alpha saved your butt.”

Taeyong had a feeling he should roll his eyes, but he felt small and delicate and it was nice that people wanted to keep him safe, even if it was all nesting alpha hormones. “Did Jaehyun go into rut?”

“Yeah, Johnny did too,” Yuta giggled. “At the exact same time while they were trying to move the couch. It was so funny. They dropped it and almost knocked each other over trying to get up the stairs at once.”

Welp. There went the warm alpha snuggles Taeyong ached for. And the comfort of his own bed. Maybe Jungwoo would let him lie down for a bit before he had to take the couch.

“Can you eat?” Doyoung asked as he held open the door for them. Taeyong shook his head no. Ten minutes and a house full of hugs later, he still found himself sat in front of a bowl of soup and a pile of crackers with his stomach aching with hunger. 

“The doctor said no class tomorrow. I have a note you can take to your professors.” Doyoung held it up. Taeyong glanced at it and focused back on his soup.

“Okay.”

“And she didn’t want you to go on Friday either, but she said if you felt really really good you could go.”

Taeyong scoffed. “That’s unlikely.”

“Well then you’ll get a nice long weekend.”

Taeyong picked up the bowl and chugged the broth because he wanted to be done eating. It took too long. Doyoung rubbed his back. “I should call my mom,” he groaned as he shoved spoonfuls of rice in his mouth.

“I’ve been texting her all day to tell her you’re okay. I said I’d make sure you called tomorrow.”

Taeil shouted goodnight to the house and his door clicked shut. Jungwoo had gone upstairs right after his hug, and Ten, Lucas, and Kun had gone home after theirs. Mark and Donghyuck dumped their late night leftovers plates in the sink and headed back to their room too. They didn’t bother washing them. Johnny wouldn’t care anymore. Taeyong stared down at the rest of his rice and wished he’d eaten slower, or not eaten at all. His stomach clenched and rolled.

“I’m going to wash the dishes.”

“Stop if you get dizzy, okay?”

Taeyong sighed. “I’m always dizzy, Doie.”

And he was dizzy the entire time he scrubbed plates and cups and bowls and stacked them in the drying rack the way he liked them. Jaehyun’s method had taken up too much room anyway. By the time he was done, there was a strained, closed up feeling at the back of his throat and an uncomfortable ache behind his eyes. The living room needed tidying too, and the beer pong room, but Taeyong only got halfway through that before he realized it wasn’t helping him destress like usual, so he went and sat on the couch instead to watch Yuta play some kind of first-person shooter. He wasn’t very good. He kept dying and he didn’t even care. Taeyong didn’t care either, or he would have taken the controller away from him and showed him how it was done. Instead he watched Yuta jump straight off the edge of a building and then respawn and get shot over and over.

Doyoung padded down the stairs and ruffled Taeyong’s hair. “I know you spent all day sleeping, but I have pills for you if you want to sleep some more.”

It would be nice to just pass out and try again tomorrow. Taeyong sighed. “Where am I sleeping?”

“In your own bed.”

Taeyong blinked up at him in surprise. Doyoung grinned. “The alphas moved everybody’s stuff back into their own rooms so you could have your bed back.”

On the other side of the couch, Yuta snickered and then died again. “They’re probably both up there jerking off as quietly as possible right now.”

“Oh god.” Taeyong rubbed his hands over his face and let himself have one mean little giggle. “Oh no, poor things. That’s so awkward.”

Yuta smirked as his character dove right into the line of fire. “I’m going to spend all my free time tomorrow listening through their door so I can hear Johnny frantically beating his meat while Jaehyun cries.”

“Yuta that’s so mean!”

“Yuta!” Doyoung dropped behind the arm of the couch, still giggling. “That’s terrible.”

“Everybody knows that’s what they’re doing. I just have a sense of humor.” Yuta grinned at Taeyong as a grenade sailed towards his character. “Since they don’t have you, they’ll just have to wax poetic about your flat ass together while they suck each other’s knots.”

Doyoung squeaked and Taeyong’s jaw dropped.

“Christ Yuta, do you have a problem with them or something?”

Yuta giggled. “Of course not, I love those guys, but they’re still fun to pick on. It’s an alpha thing.” He looked back at the screen and blinked. His character spun in a circle a few times. “Oh shit I died.”

“Yeah, you’re a disgrace, no offense.”

“None taken.” Yuta turned off the Xbox and the TV. “I was only playing to wait for you.”

“Wait for me to what?”

Yuta chucked his controller over his shoulder onto the next armchair and crawled across the couch until he hovered over Taeyong. “Your princes have abandoned you. Were you expecting Doyoung to carry you up the stairs?”

“I don’t like your tone,” Doyoung grumbled, but Yuta ignored him and shoved his arms under Taeyong’s knees and shoulders. He lifted him up, green blanket all.

“You know I could probably get up the stairs myself,” he grumbled, even though his body still felt like it was made out of paper and twigs.

“No way, no more stairs for you today.” He climbed off the couch with Taeyong still clutched to his chest.

Doyoung stood too and gave Taeyong’s shoulder a pat. “I’m with Yuta on this.”

On one hand being carried by Yuta was nice. His arms were warm and strong and familiar. On the other hand, Taeyong’s pride had already taken enough of a beating today. What good were suppressants if at the end of the day he was still a delicate, needy little slut, clinging and fainting on every alpha he met? He was practically an omega anyway, comically stereotypical. Weak and helpless.

“I’m going to miss making Johnny and Jaehyun jealous,” Yuta whispered at the top of the stairs. Their door was closed, probably locked tight. Taeyong watched it as they went by, half expecting it to open just a crack, just enough so that Taeyong could ask how they were doing, so he could squeeze their hands. There was no way a couple of alphas in rut were paying close enough attention to notice when he came up for bed, and they definitely weren’t in any condition to be checking in on people they weren’t fucking, but he was still disappointed when the door stayed shut tight. Johnny and Jaehyun had different priorities now.

“I’m going to miss it too,” he sighed.

Yuta set him down on the edge of his bed and gave his cheek a little pat. “Sleep tight, Mr. President,” he murmured, and then left.

Taeyong got changed and brushed his teeth in a frustrated, impatient kind of daze, like even the bare minimum to get into bed was still way too much to ask. Doyoung rationed out his meds and got him a glass of water. He tucked Taeyong in and dug out an extra blanket for him. Even though it had been chilly for days, there had always been at least one alpha in his bed to keep him warm. Now there weren’t any. Taeyong curled up just like he wanted, with all the room and blankets he could ever need. The bed was just the right softness, just the right temperature. Taeyong lay perfectly still, exhausted, disoriented and drowsy, and stared into darkness for hours, feeling worse and worse and worse.

Of course it was too much to ask, to feel better after passing out and sleeping for ten hours. Now he was exhausted from the sleeping pills but too well rested for them to actually work. Until they wore off, he was stuck circling around and around his half-dazed head, too drowsy to keep out all the thoughts he was usually so good at avoiding.

Why had he ever thought he could help the alphas? Yuta had been almost more than he could handle on a good day. He should have known he would never feel well enough to handle two, but he had still promised to take care of them and let them depend on him. He had let them make all their plans around his participation, just because he wanted to get fucked so bad that he selfishly let himself believe he could pull through. Now they were stuck struggling through rut with no privacy and no one. What if they fought and hurt each other? What if their awkward situation damaged their relationship forever and it was Taeyong’s fault?

How was Taeyong supposed to lead a frat like this? How was he supposed to lead all the frats on campus? How was he supposed to hold down a job without Doyoung by his side to force feed him pills and alphas ready to catch him on the stairs? How was he supposed to live his life when his shitty health ruined everything? Every recruitment event, every class discussion, every date, every fun thing he ever planned.

Now and then the old house made a noise. Even the slightest creak snapped Taeyong’s eyes open. He shivered in the dark and sighed out long, deep breaths to try and get what little food he’d choked down to settle. Half-formed monologues spun loudly in his head; conversations with Soobin and friends that would make them come to the next party, and apologies to the alphas, apologies to Doyoung, apologies to Yuta and his professors. They played over and over until they turned into dreams where his conversation partners sat and frowned and stared and everything he tried to say came out wrong. 

The sun had barely cracked the skyline when Taeyong’s sleep medication finally began to wear off. They had kept him right to the edge of his mind most of the night, where his limbs were too heavy and his brain too loopy and he couldn’t tell if he was awake or dreaming. Maybe that counted as a little sleep. The equivalent of an hour or two if he was lucky. Despite the extra blankets, he was freezing cold. Sitting up only made him colder, but he sat in bed and shivered for another thirty minutes as he scrolled through his inbox. There was an email from his professor about not showing up to lead class discussion, which he answered, and one from an IFC member about some kind of disciplinary panel going on in his frat, which he didn’t.

There was one from Kim Namjoon from the day before that asked if he was doing okay and gave him the time of their party. Saturday at seven. Taeyong checked again for any reply from Soobin or friends. Still nothing. It was already Thursday morning, probably way too late to change the party from Saturday to Friday. Mark and Hyuck’s friends would definitely come either way, but there was a strong chance that if Soobin and friends had to choose, they would choose BTS. Or they might not show up at the SigMu party anyway, which would be even more humiliating.

They couldn’t just give up those boys. Taeyong promised himself that he’d talk to Johnny about it as soon as he got up.

It wasn’t until he was on his way to the bathroom for a shower and saw the blank white board of the alphas door that he remembered Johnny wouldn’t be available for any party planning until Sunday. If this was going to get organized, Taeyong would have to do it by himself.

No normal person would dare sit down on the floor of a frat house shower, but Taeyong was long past such things. Even when the stalls hadn’t been thoroughly scrubbed just days before by a hormonal housekeeping alpha, the fear of whatever those floors had seen just wasn’t as bad as the reality of what would happen if his dizzy, flimsy little self lost balance on the slippery tiles. There were no alphas around to catch him. Not anymore.

After his shower, he stood in front of the sink to brush his teeth. His reflection looked back at him in the mirror, with its sunken cheeks and deep purple eye bags and bony shoulders. The florescent bathroom light made him look like a plastic prop from a Halloween store. He couldn’t even imagine what he’d look like if he wasn’t sick, exhausted, and emaciated all the time. Maybe Yuta would have wanted him after his rut. Maybe Jaehyun would have. Maybe he could have had a boyfriend or a girlfriend by now if that hadn’t meant burdening someone with a sick, miserable, husk of a person. He already put way too much on Doyoung, and Doyoung wasn’t even dating him.

At eight Doyoung went to class. Taeyong shivered at his desk with the green blanket and a half-eaten protein bar that set his nausea going again with a vengeance. One of the readings that his sleep deprived brain had completely forgotten stared up at him from his computer screen until the glare of it brought his headache back too.

Video games would probably make him motion sick. There was nothing on YouTube that he wanted to watch, not even kitten videos. Reading was out of the question. At eight-thirty he checked the hallway for people. Across the hall, more Rammstein hammered through the walls. Lately it sounded like Yuta was trying to memorize their entire discography. The next closest room belonged to Johnny and Jaehyun. They were definitely preoccupied. Taeyong stared at their blank white door and wrapped the green blanket around his shoulders a little tighter.

It didn’t sound like there was anyone in the bathroom. Taeyong gently closed his door again and climbed up on his bed to call his mom.

“Hello sweetie,” she said when she answered the phone. “I’m leaving for work right now, but we can talk when I get home. How are you? What happened?”

“I still feel like shit. Scuse my language.”

“Aw, you get a pass today. I really wish you’d go to the doctor before you almost get hurt, dear.”

“Y-yeah…” Taeyong sighed. “Bad call on my part I guess. There’s just… a lot going on.” His stomach turned when he remembered all the party reorganizing he had to do. All the emails he’d have to send, all the apologies, all the confused brothers and cleaning and shopping. “Informal rush, you know? And my VP of recruitment is in rut.”

“What unfortunate timing. Oh well. How long did you go without sleeping?”

Taeyong sighed. “I’m going to stress you out if I tell you. Want to wait until after work?”

“Okay, okay.” She took a deep breath and Taeyong could hear her sensible heels thump across the porch. “Well, hopefully that episode is over, and you can get some sleep again.”

“M-maybe.”

“We’ll talk later, okay? I’m so sorry I can’t talk now.”

“It’s fine mom, it was nice to hear you voice.” His heart sank as the car door slammed.

“We’ll facetime, you can see the dogs.”

Taeyong ached for a fluffy little pupper to hold. “I’d love that, I miss them. I miss you too.”

“Not as much as I miss you, Yongie.” The engine revved up in the background. Her car radio came on, crooning eighties music, but she turned it off again. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too mom.” It was cute that she refused to ever talk on the phone while she drove until it wasn’t. “Drive safe, okay?”

“I always do. Bye now.”

“Bye.”

The call ended. Taeyong dropped his phone on his chest and stared up at the ceiling for a while, getting more and more anxious about the work he wasn’t doing. There was only one dose of sleeping pills left. After that, he wouldn’t get any sleep until the recruitment party was done, and if Soobin and friends didn’t show up, his nausea would only get worse. For the past couple of weeks, the only sleep he’d gotten had been because he had Jaehyun’s big warm body wrapped around him, but he wouldn’t have that anymore.

Taeyong sat up and took a deep breath. A couple years ago he’d given up trying to stack up exhaustion until he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore and then ration out hours of sleep to create periods where things weren’t so bad, where he had energy and could eat food, but something always went wrong, and it was never as nice as he hoped. Sometimes he got lucky. Most of the time he still felt like shit. Alphas and sleeping pills or not, all Taeyong could do was push on. So he got out his phone and felt his nausea get worse in real time as he drafted an email to the brothers about rescheduling the party. Once he got the things he was dreading out of the way, he wouldn’t have to dread them anymore.

Speaking of. Taeyong sent his email and took a deep breath. His stomach rolled. Time to take his damn pill and be done with it. He dug the bottle out of the drawer with a couple of deep breaths.

“God, I hate you so much,” he breathed. His knuckles turned white around the plastic and his hand shook. He took another deep breath. This was going to take a while. He crawled back up onto the bed which he couldn’t loft too high because he wouldn’t be able to climb up onto it with his weak, shaky limbs, and he could never lie comfortably in because of his constant nausea and aching and the way his bony knees ground together.

He settled against the pillows Johnny had stacked in the corner, the fancy, expensive ones his sister bought him because she still didn’t know he was an omega and she thought they might help him sleep. He wondered if she knew the truth about suppressants. If she did, telling her he was an omega would break her heart. If she didn’t, she would be embarrassed for him. She would probably find out the hard way, after Taeyong squeezed as much life as he could out of his time before the pills took every less functional piece of him away. If the severity of his side effects this early in life were anything to go by, he didn’t even have as long as most male omegas usually did.

These were things he never let himself think about. Usually he just let himself think about how shit he felt right then, and how much the pills would make it worse tomorrow, but it was hard to ignore these days, how he was wasting away.

Taeyong took another few deep breaths, but they came out really shaky. He blinked at ceiling and tried to get the tears to sink back into his eyes. Sometimes it helped to think about all the other male omegas who took their pills every day. There weren’t very many of them. Taeyong had probably only met a couple in his whole life, and he’d never know who they were, but they were in this together just the same, choking down their pills every day so they could live safe and without shame, with families and careers. They could live well for a short time, free of hate and prejudice.   
It didn’t help today. Today it just made him so furious that his throat closed and his fists clenched with the force of it. How many other men were having their lives taken from them like this?

For a while he forced himself to think about what he usually did: How shit he felt. How shit he’d feel tomorrow. His checklist of all the things he had to do before he tried to sleep, how he was going to get through it. He should just take the damn pill, and then he wouldn’t have to do it again until tomorrow. Take it out of the stupid ugly little bottle that hurt his eyes and put it in his mouth, even his flimsy arms could handle that. He should just get it over with.

That little pep talk got him enough momentum to pop the lid open, but then it fizzled out. The pills glared up at him. “I really, really hate you,” he told them. His knuckles went white on the plastic again. He couldn’t believe he still had to take these, decades after people discovered what they did. Taeyong’s whole life was ruined just because nobody cared enough to fight for him. Nobody was brave enough.

Taeyong’s vision blurred with tears. His stomach churned. He slid off the bed and stumbled, but caught himself on the chair, and hurried out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom with the pills still clutched in his hand. Yuta was standing in front of the mirror spitting toothpaste into the sink as Taeyong rushed past him to the first stall. His stomach rolled again as he planted his feet in front of the toilet, held up the bottle and turned it over. A cascade of little orange pills tumbled out into the water. Taeyong’s heart pounded up into his throat as he shook out the last one and stomped on the handle. A blurry orange swirl of pills spun around the bowl, down and down, until they disappeared. 

“Taeyong?” 

They were gone. The toilet gurgled and hissed for only a moment as the water rose again. Its surface rippled and went still. Underneath there was nothing but unusually clean white porcelain. No orange in sight. Taeyong stared with bated breath as if it was about to spit all the pills back up at him, but it didn’t. They were deep down in the pipes now. He couldn’t reach them.

He swayed and caught himself on the side of the stall while his ears rung like a giant swarm of mosquitos.

“Oh my god,” he gasped. Even if he called the pharmacy now, they would have to order a refill to be shipped for tomorrow or maybe even the next day.

What would his mom say? He was going to have to talk to her later. His sister would find out. All the brothers would find out. And his classmates and his professors. Potential new members. Strangers in the grocery store. He would never be able to walk alone at night again. He might not be able to get a job.

His heart raced in his chest like it had the day before when he fell.

“Taeyong, are you okay?”

“Why did I do that?” he whispered. He couldn’t get enough air. The empty toilet got too blurry to see. “Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god oh my god—” He spun around and slammed into Yuta’s chest. Strong arms wrapped tight around his back and kept him from falling. Taeyong buried his face in Yuta’s shoulder and gasped for air.

“Breathe, Taeyong, slowly. Shhhhh…”

Taeyong couldn’t breathe. Loud, ugly sobs clogged his throat and he couldn’t choke in enough air to fuel his frantically beating heart. He had to pass out again soon. Any second now it would be over and he would wake up in the dark at the health center. But he didn’t. It went on and on and it _hurt_.

“Breathe with me, Taeyong. In…” Yuta pulled him forward and sank down against the wall between the sinks. “…and out…”

Yuta had to be fucking crazy if he thought Taeyong could physically breathe that slow. He ignored him and curled tighter against his chest instead, praying for darkness. Yuta’s fingers brushed gently through Taeyong’s hair. “In…” He whispered, and his ribs expanded under Taeyong. “And out…”

Taeyong slammed a fist against his chest.

“AA! Ow…” Yuta reached for the fist. His fingers brushed over the pill bottle and Taeyong’s heart just raced faster. He shoved the bottle between them and clutched it against stomach. “Okay okay, sorry.” Yuta put his hand back in Taeyong’s hair. “Do what you gotta do. You’re going to be fine.”

Taeyong sobbed so hard he felt dizzy. He wasn’t going to be fine. He was never going to be fine. He clung to Yuta’s waist and bawled for minute after minute as his heart thudded painfully in his chest and his lungs screamed and his reality came crashing down around him. The darkness he wished for didn’t come no matter how painful it was.

It took forever, but eventually his heart rate slowed down. Breathing got easier. He and Yuta huddled in an uncomfortable heap under the sinks with Taeyong crying and Yuta petting his hair until the house’s front door opened and closed.

“We should move,” Yuta murmured. He waited for Taeyong to nod before he grabbed the edge of the sink and hauled them both up. Taeyong let him guide them back to Taeyong’s room and pull him gently to sit on the bed. He wiped his eyes. Yuta passed him his tissues and then sat down next to him and rubbed his back. The empty orange bottle stayed clutched in Taeyong’s hand. He hugged his knees to his chest.

“I’m going to call Doyoung to come home, okay?”

Taeyong nodded. Doyoung would help, he’d know what to do. He could hear the phone ring. Poor Doyoung, this would stress him out so much, and he was supposed to be eating lunch right now. Taeyong lifted his head to tell Yuta to hang up, but Doyoung picked up right as he did. 

“Hello?” Doyoung’s voice came from the other end. “Yuta? Did you butt dial me?”

“Can you come home?” Yuta gave the back of Taeyong’s neck a reassuring squeeze. “I think Taeyong flushed his… meds. He needs some help.”

Taeyong curled back up when Doyoung gasped. “I’ll be right there,” he said, his voice already shaky, and he hung up. A couple more sobs bubbled out of Taeyong’s throat.

“Want some water?” Yuta brushed his hair behind his ear.

Taeyong shook his head and reached for his tissues. “Wanna cuddle?”

The answer was yes, mostly, but Taeyong shrugged. The little orange bottle slipped against his sweaty palm with none of its usual weight and rattle. He turned it over with a long shaky sigh. Yuta scooted closer and spread his legs around Taeyong’s hip’s. He wrapped his arms around Taeyong’s waist and tucked his cheek against his shoulder.

“I have a guess,” he murmured.

Taeyong grunted. Even if he didn’t tell Yuta what was going on now, he would find out in the matter of weeks. Besides, he had to know already. “When did you make this guess?”

“When you took my knot like you’d been doing it for years even though you had never had anything in your ass before.” He squeezed Taeyong tighter. “Betas can’t do that.”

“Ah…” Sweet of him not to mention how betas didn’t start foaming at the mouth when they felt a knot at their hole either.

“I mean it’s probably possible, but it seems really unlikely. I was never able to.”

“Mm.” Taeyong blinked at his pill bottle. “Wait…”

“I told you I was adventurous in high school.”

“Whoa.”

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Of course.”

Yuta gave his shoulder a kiss. “And my non-omega partners and I have always had to work up to it for weeks, no matter which hole we’re using.”

“Oh.”

Yuta rubbed his hand over Taeyong’s lower back. “You’re really brave, Yong.”

“Ugh, I’m not.” He pressed his hands over his eyes and shivered with dread. “I’m just so tired.”

“Will you be able to sleep now?”

“God I hope so.”

“Me too.” Yuta lifted his head so he could look right a Taeyong as he pulled Taeyong’s hands away from his face. “Whatever happens, I’ve got your back, okay? I was afraid you didn’t want to hear it, so I never figured out how to tell you how grateful I was that you took care of me on my cycle.”

“I’m so sorry Yuta.” He twisted around so he could hug Yuta back, with his arms around Yuta’s neck and his face mashed under his jaw.

“Shh, it was my fault. I just want you to know that I’ll fight anybody for you. So will the others but I’m a lot more likely to win.”

Taeyong took a deep breath and it came out in sobs again. He wondered if every acceptance he got from now on would feel like this; a wash of bone-melting relief. He dreaded how he would feel when he got the opposite. “Thank you,” he whimpered. Yuta just snuggled tighter.

The hug lasted until Doyoung bust through the door with tears already streaming down his cheeks. He dove on Taeyong without a word and knocked him back against the bed, sobbing so hard that Taeyong didn’t have to. Tears prickled his eyes, but they didn’t feel so bad this time.

“I-I’m so pr-roud of yo-ou,” Doyoung blubbered, “Fuq, I c-can’d s-st-” and Taeyong choked out something between a laugh and more sobs.

From on top of Taeyong’s pillows, Yuta grabbed a handful of the green blanket, squeezed it, and said “Mmm.” Doyoung wailed.

“You shouldn’t gotten here earlier,” Taeyong said with a sniffle. “We could have ugly cried together.”

Doyoung tried to quip some kind of comeback but couldn’t stop bawling long enough, so he buried his face in Taeyong’s shoulder and sobbed louder instead.

“This is nice.” Yuta spread out the green blanket in front of him and rolled into it. He tumbled to a stop against Taeyong’s side like a fluffy green Yuta burrito. Taeyong giggled. Doyoung tried to shove him away. “Can’t wait to jizz all over this during my next rut,” he said, and Doyoung whacked him. “AA!”

Doyoung’s sobs finally quieted down to hiccups. He lifted his face out of Taeyong’s shoulder and squinted at Yuta, and then down at Taeyong.

“He knows. He put it together.”

“Oh.” Doyoung stuffed his face back in Taeyong’s shoulder again.

“He also hugged me through my panic attack even though I punched him.”

“Fine, he can stay.” Doyoung let out a couple more whimpery sobs and then sat up, wiping his eyes. “Where are the fucking tissues?”

Yuta flipped over, grabbed the box between his knees and his trapped hands, and flipped back over.

“Thanks.” Doyoung climbed off the bed to blow his nose and throw the tissue away. “Jesus. Yong what the fuck, you couldn’t text me first? So I could tell you to fucking do it but not get scared half to death?”

Taeyong wiped his eyes too. “If I took the time to text you, I wouldn’t have done it. Seriously, I don’t know what came over me. It was like I was possessed.”

“Ugh.” Doyoung crawled back on the bed. “Okay, I think I’m done ugly crying.”

“Hmm…” Taeyong pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows.

Doyoung shoved him. “Shut up, not all of us can be pretty when we cry.” He snuffled and scrubbed his sleeves over his face. “Fuck, Yong.”

“Yeah…” Taeyong’s stomach gave another sharp roll. “Might have just fucked up my whole life, we’ll see.”

“Are you kidding?” Doyoung plopped back down on the bed and backed up to sit against the wall. He patted the spot beside him. “I’m so excited to see what you’re like when you’re actually well.”

“If my body can actually recover…” Taeyong scooted up next to Doyoung so their legs were pressed together. “I was on those pills for over half my life, it’ll be interesting to see what damage is permanent. I probably won’t be able to get as much work done when I actually have to sleep at night.”

“You’ll work a lot faster when you’re rested.” Doyoung’s fingers threaded through his.

“No one is going to hire me.” All his career plans cycled slowly through his head, like they did sometimes, but this time there was a new, massive roadblock at every single step. He just had a lot more time to climb over them now. “I might have to give up music if I ever want to make a living.”

Caterpillar Yuta wiggled over to plop his head on Taeyong’s thigh. “You could work freelance from home. No one has to know if they can’t smell you.”

Doyoung nodded. “I’m sure there are studios who don’t care. It’s not like you’re going into customer service or administration.”

Taeyong took his usual deep breaths to calm his stomach down. “I don’t know, music production is a pretty alpha heavy business.”

“So is this frat,” said Yuta. “But nobody here is going to have a problem.”

“I hope not.” A horrible thought struck him. “Fuck, we better get those bids out before my scent changes or we might not get any pledges.” That thought was followed closely by a second. “Did you guys get my email?”

Yuta began squirming around to get his phone, but Doyoung patted his hand. “I got the email. I’ll take care of it, okay? I think it won’t be a big deal to switch as long as Yuta’s okay with switching his birthday shenanigans to Saturday…”

“Oh shit it’s your birthday tomorrow!”

Yuta blinked up at them. “I already switched to next weekend because of the orchestra concert tomorrow. Mark has a flute solo. And we’re getting drunk on Sunday morning with Sicheng over facetime for his birthday.”

“Oh shit…” Taeyong let his head tip back against the wall. He’d been so focused on their future brothers that he’d forgotten about what their current ones were doing. Time for those apologies Taeyong had known were coming. He pulled his email and typed out a ‘please disregard, I forgot about previously scheduled events, I’m very sorry,’ email with shaking fingers. Doyoung took his phone away and erased the apology before he sent it.

“It’s not that big a deal,” he grumbled. “I don’t even know why we’re thinking about this. You’ve got more important stuff to worry about right now.”

“Just because I picked a bad time to fuck up my whole life doesn’t mean I have to fuck up the frat too.” 

“Shh.” Doyoung squeezed his hand again. “I know your career is important to you, Yong. If you really regret this, you can always go back on them.”

“No.” Taeyong heaved in a long breath and tucked his head into Doyoung’s shoulder. “I’m never going back.”

Yuta wiggled closer until his face was pressed into Taeyong’s stomach. His warm breath puffed through Taeyong’s t-shirt. Doyoung’s cheek rested on Taeyong’s hair.

“Thank god,” he said. His voice was all wobbly again. “That means I don’t have to force feed you your pill anymore. I hated doing that.”

“I’m sorry, Doie.”

“Shh, don’t be sorry. I knew it was easier for me than for you, and I’m lucky I got to help you.” 

Taeyong floated through the rest of the day, bouncing between lightheaded relief and crippling dread. All three of them skipped class. Doyoung made him soup for lunch. Yuta rolled him up in the green blanket whenever the panic buzzing under his skin started to show on his face. For a while he studied with Doyoung until he couldn’t focus anymore. They walked to the gym café for dinner, since that was closest and Taeyong wanted to leave the house, but by the time they got there he was lightheaded and too queasy to handle the smell of fried food, so Doyoung went in and ordered for himself and Yuta while Yuta and Taeyong stayed outside. They found a bench. Taeyong wished he had the green blanket, but Yuta’s arm around his shoulders and a very nice SigMu letter hoodie that Taemin bought him freshman year would have to do. It would have been a good time to email tomorrow’s professors, but even looking at his phone screen light up made his eyes hurt. He stared hard at a tree in the distance instead.

“Yuta?”

“Hm?”

Taeyong pulled his knees up to his chest. “I think… we should have talked about our incident.”

“You’re probably right.” He squeezed Taeyong’s shoulders. “But it was awkward.”

Life was about to get way harder. If there was a time to straighten things out with one of his only guaranteed allies, it was now.

“What did you mean when you said you weren’t sure if I’d want to hear your thank you?”

“Uh…” Yuta pulled his knees up to his chest too. “I mean, I kinda jumped you. Then after you rejected me, I begged you until you changed your mind and that never sat right with me. I thought you might just want some space.”

Taeyong winced and leaned into him. “Sorry, I just didn’t know where we stood after rut sex. I actually thought you might want some space.”

“Really?” Yuta waved at somebody. It was Jungwoo, heading back from class with an armload of papers.

“That and I just… I don’t know, I guess I didn’t know how to fit the fact that we’d fucked into our existing friendship, so I just didn’t. It was cowardly. Sorry.” He tucked his forehead into his knees. “Maybe we should get drunk to talk this out.”

“…Maybe.” Yuta squeezed his knees tighter.

“Or we can talk now if you want to.”

He pursed his lips and shook his head. “You have enough to think about today.”

Now he wanted to know. “Yuta, just talk to me. I want to talk.” The breeze picked up, rattling the dead leaves at their feet. Yuta automatically pulled him closer when he shivered.

“You sure?” Yuta’s eyes were wide behind his hair, brows pinched.

“Yeah.”

Yuta glanced towards the gym to make sure Doyoung wasn’t on his way, and then curled back around his knees. “I have, like, a short list of things I wanted to tell you after our incident. I guess to defend myself or something.” He shook his head. “It might sound kinda rehearsed because it kind of is, sorry in advance.” There was a moment of silence as he pursed his lips. Taeyong waited. Finally, he took a deep breath and started.

“Well to start, I wanted to let you know that you were my nesting buddy, which obviously you know now. You know how Johnny can have a nesting buddy that he’s just domestic with and he doesn’t want to fuck them? Like his RA that one time?”

He glanced up at Taeyong, who nodded.

“Obviously I’m not domestic when I nest. I just want to roll around in a literal nest and fuck for two and a half weeks. So if I have a girlfriend or a boyfriend and they’re into that, then that’s great for me. If I don’t, then even if I get attached to somebody, I just avoid them and deal with it myself.”

“You’ve had boyfriends?” Taeyong realized how off topic and irrelevant that was. “Sorry, never mind, keep going.”

Yuta giggled and reached up to ruffle Taeyong’s hair. “I had one in high school. That’s why I didn’t really think it was weird when I picked you for a nesting buddy. I just thought bi Yuta came back.”

“What, were you only bi for a bit?”

“Um…” Yuta ruffled his own hair this time. “I was never actually bi. I tried to be in high school because my first ever nesting buddy ended up being my best friend. He actually was bi, so we had a lot of sex during my cycle. But I didn’t realize that was just how I nested, so we tried to date afterwards.” He unwrapped from around Taeyong and pulled his hair over his face. “That was a dark time. It sucked because I definitely didn’t like him like that. I never wanted to fuck unless I was nesting, and then two cycles later my nesting buddy was an actual omega we were friends with instead of him. It was bad.”

“Sounds like you were just confused.” Taeyong rubbed his shoulders to comfort him, but he just curled up more.

“I broke his heart so bad, I was the wooooorst.”

Taeyong cooed. “If it makes you feel better, I used to be a huge dick to omegas. I would refuse to acknowledge them and glare at them when they talked.”

Yuta lifted his head just to gape at him. “Wait, _you_ were _mean_ to people?”

The chilly breeze blew again, but Taeyong had begun feeling warm, especially in the face. “Yeah, I was kind of known for hating omegas actually. I had to give up that schtick by the time I was, like, sixteen, when being shitty stopped being socially acceptable.” He sighed. “Those girls are going to laugh so hard when they find out I’m an omega, but that’s fine. I deserve it…”

“I don’t think they will, Yong.” Yuta wrapped an arm back around his shoulders. “I think they’ll figure out you didn’t actually hate them. You probably just thought it would keep people from guessing.”

“That’s the thing,” Taeyong groaned, “I did hate them.” His hair wasn’t as long as Yuta’s but he tried to hide behind it anyway. “But like, I hated the word ‘omega,’ and the fact that omegas even existed and I had to be one. None of the omegas I went to school with were ever funny, smart, or athletic or anything like that. They were just cute and clingy like babies. It pissed me off.”

“Oh.” Yuta pet his hair. “Because you didn’t want to be like that?”

“Yeah… Why do you think I’m such an overachiever?” He took a deep breath to tamp down the extra dose of guilt nausea that always came with remembering how twelve-year-old Taeyong had forced himself through mountains of extra studying just so he could smirk when he got an A on every test and the omega at the next desk got a B. Back then, those little victories had filled him with the same vindictive satisfaction that taking his pill each morning had, because it meant he would never do anything as humiliating as clinging to an alpha or going into heat. It meant that despite what his medical papers said, he was better than them.

“Looking back, I bet some of the omegas I knew were pretty cool. They were just really timid around me and the other guys, because I definitely wasn’t the only asshole in the class that didn’t listen when they spoke. We never would have guessed there was anything more to them.”

Yuta hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think I ever hated omegas, but I do remember saying some really shitty things about them with the other guys, like how they were kinda useless and pathetic. Stuff like that. If I hadn’t met a couple really smart, funny omegas in high school, I might still think that way.”

“Those poor girls. I was so mean.”

“Yeah, we all were.” Yuta hauled him close and hugged him extra tight. “I’m beginning to understand why flushing your pills gave you a panic attack.”

“Mm…” Anxiety rolled in Taeyong’s stomach. Not for the first time, he wondered if there was a small part of him who still saw omegas that way, if that angry, scared kid who called omegas names and refused to wear pink was still stuck in his brain somewhere. He wondered how many of those sweet girls would have actually made As and felt confident enough to participate in gym class if he’d encouraged them to do better instead of punishing them for doing worse.

Yuta had probably treated omegas like that too. Maybe even Jaehyun and Johnny. Probably not as badly as Taeyong did. They probably just had the usual dismissiveness, leering, and disdain for omega things that most boys had, instead of outright hostility. But if Jaehyun came into college declaring a type studies minor and Yuta was sucking dick and trying to take knots in high school then they probably were way more accepting of omegas as teenagers than Taeyong ever was.

Taeyong jerked his face out of Yuta’s shoulder. “Wait, if your one boyfriend was a beta then when did you try to get knotted?”

“Oh, uh,” Yuta giggled. “After the boyfriend, I still hadn’t figured out I wasn’t bi and I wanted to scandalize my classmates.”

Taeyong giggled back. “Yeah that sounds like you. Anyway, back to our incident.”

“Right.” Yuta let him go. “Where was I? Oh yeah. I’ve never had a nesting buddy who I wasn’t dating, but who was also around all the time and taking care of me and stuff. That’s apparently the worst possible combination for me.”

“I can imagine.” He brushed Yuta’s hair into place.

“By the end of my rut I was almost out of my fucking mind. The time when I jumped you, I was in the middle of a wave and I literally felt like I was on drugs. I might have even thought I was asleep; I don’t remember. That’s why I did a shitty thing. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine, I was never mad.” He scratched behind Yuta’s ear, and Yuta’s guilty little pout melted into a soft smile. “You backed off when I asked, and I had a great time.”

“Oh man.” Yuta rubbed both hands over his face. “That was such a bad moment for me. I was loopy and just so fucking relieved that I was finally touching you, and then you hit me.”

The look on Yuta’s face when Taeyong hit him came back to him sometimes. He’d looked so betrayed, heartbroken even. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it was good that you hit me. It made me wake the fuck up. Ugh…” He dragged both hands through his hair and messed it up again. “You looked so scared. That shit still keeps me up at night.”

“I wasn’t scared for long.” Taeyong dragged Yuta’s hands back out of his hair and started fixing it all over again. “Would it help if I told you sometimes thinking about our incident helps me sleep? When my brain won’t shut up, I just replay the whole night over and over until I pass out.” It definitely helped. Yuta turned a little pink and ducked his chin but Taeyong could still tell he was grinning. Taeyong felt himself get a little pink too. “Maybe I’m just really touch starved.”

“I doubt you’re touch starved when every time I see you you’re cuddling one of the brothers. Sexually frustrated though. That I could believe.” He smirked up at him and touched a finger under his chin.

Taeyong’s face got even warmer. He tucked it into Yuta’s shoulder so he wouldn’t see it. “Maybe a little,” he muttered, and Yuta laughed. He knew how weird they must look, two frat brothers curled up together on a bench outside of the gym. They both had on letters and everything. With all the rumors flying around after last week’s party, it probably wasn’t a good idea to cuddle like boyfriends in public, especially not now that he’d flushed his pills. Once word got out that the president of Sigma Mu was off his suppressants, rumors that he was fucking three of his alpha brothers were probably the last thing he needed.

“The other thing I kind of wanted to tell you,” Yuta started softly, before Taeyong could do anything about all the new anxiety stirring in his guts, “is that when type people get nesting buddies, it’s not like everything you felt for that person disappears after rut. Those feelings aren’t instinct driven anymore, so they might fade, but if you feel that strongly about somebody for that long, it tends to linger.”

Something fluttered in Taeyong’s chest. “That’s why you started dating your best friend in high school?”

“Yup. Obviously for me sexual attraction doesn’t stick around, but trust and affection does.”

Whatever it was fluttered again. Taeyong wrapped his hands around Yuta’s arm and let their knees tip together. He didn’t care if the other IFC guys walked past, or Soobin and Yeonjun, or Chungha. Of course Yuta was more important than that.

“I just want you to know I really care about you.”

Taeyong’s heart swelled.

“And Johnny and Jaehyun will too.”

For some reason, that hit Taeyong like a bucket of water. He didn’t realize his hands had tightened on Yuta’s arm until Yuta laughed and slid his own hand over Taeyong’s. “Do you miss them?”

“Yeah…”

“We need to get you feeling better so you can go have rut sex again.”

Taeyong laughed. He didn’t know how to tell him that there was no way he was sleeping for days. Even if the side effects of the pills wore of really fast, the anxiety wasn’t going anywhere.

“Y-yeah, I’ll try.”

“One philly cheesesteak for grease boy,” said Doyoung from right behind them. Taeyong jumped.

“Can you keep carrying it for now—”

“UH!”

“—so I can give Taeyong a piggyback back to the house.”

“Oh,” Doyoung giggled. “Sure. That’s fine.”

Taeyong dragged himself onto Yuta’s back, and Yuta stood. He wasn’t as warm as Jaehyun or as big as Johnny, but he was still strong and steady, and his vetiver, leather, and sex scent had always been a personal favorite. Throughout the day there had been moments where his scent was too strong for Taeyong’s nervous tummy, but now it was nice. He took a few deep breaths of it as they started down the sidewalk towards Greek row.

“Thanks for talking, Yuta.”

Yuta hummed and nuzzled against his head.

“What did you guys talk about?”

“We finally talked about how we fucked that one time.”

“Oh finally.” Doyoung balanced both plates on one arm so he could take a big bite of Yuta’s sandwich. Yuta opened his mouth really wide and said “aaaaaaah,” until Doyoung gave him a bite too.

“We also talked about how we were both dicks in high school.”

Doyoung snorted. “Yeah who wasn’t? I was the fucking worst.” He took another bite.

“You’re still the worst,” Yuta grumbled. “aaaaaaah…”

“Nope, not until you take that back.”

“It’s my god damn sandwich, you whore. Give it to me.”

Taeyong snuggled into Yuta’s shoulder and smiled. 

After dinner, Taeyong had a long, exhausting phone call from his mom, where he had to figure out how to tell her every detail of the whole week without mentioning his arrangement with the alphas, and he definitely didn’t mention his pills.

“Not ready to break it to her?” Doyoung asked when he was done, and Taeyong shook his head.

“I’m afraid she’ll just go on a long tangent about things I need to worry about now and make me second guess.”

“Yeah I could see her doing that.” Doyoung pouted. “She’d mean well though. Are you ready for movie night?”

Taeyong heaved a deep sigh and hauled himself up off Doyoung’s bed. Standing made his head swim and his legs ache.

On the way across the hall, Taeyong and Doyoung caught sight of a wild Johnny stumbling from his door to the bathroom. He was clutching a towel and his eyes were closed and he looked, possibly, worse than Taeyong with his shoulders hunched and his sweaty hair hanging in his face. Thick, pungent alpha smell wafted after him, all the way down the hallway.

“Is anyone feeding them?” Taeyong said with a stab of horror once he had disappeared.

“Yeah, I set up a schedule. Taeil and Donghyuck have been in charge of that today.”

Taeyong groaned and clung to his arm. “What would I do without you?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.”

Yuta’s room was all clean, miraculously. There was a pillow couch set up on his bed, and he had a couple sheets strung from his mantlepiece around the bed frame like old times.

“I don’t know if I want to go in there,” Doyoung grumbled, but Taeyong tugged him towards the tent flap.

“Yuta’s blanket tents are the best, come on.”

“It’s not a fuck tent this time, right?”

“Depends,” said Yuta from the inside. “How big are your tits?”

Taeyong crawled in and collapsed against the pillows next to Yuta and draped the green blanket of their laps. “Doyoung actually has really nice tits.”

“Ooh…”

“Nobody’s touching my tits,” Doyoung glared at Yuta as he followed Taeyong in and settled on his other side. “What stupid happy thing are we watching?”

Yuta smacked the play key on his laptop and Pacific Rim started. 

For all Taeyong’s worry about sleep, it took maybe ten minutes before his eyes started to drift closed. Even after the third time he woke up to readjust on Doyoung’s shoulder, they weren’t even halfway through the movie. Then he drifted awake as Yuta lowered him to the bed. His nausea faded with the warmth of Yuta’s chest pressed up against his back. The green blanket got draped over them. Movie noises cut off, the lights turned out, and Taeyong felt warm and relaxed and comfortable. He couldn’t remember why he’d been so emotional all day. Everything seemed alright.


	12. Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light warning for lots of meat in this chapter. interpret that how you will

Even a whopping seven and a half hours of sleep couldn’t convince Taeyong to go to class. He felt sluggish and dizzy. His body trembled all over. The mixture of relief and dread still circling his head made everything feel strange. He’d been disoriented so long that he began to wonder if this was just the new normal. It wasn’t like things were ever going to go back to how they were before. 

After Yuta and Doyoung went to class, Taeyong wandered down to the kitchen with the green blanket draped over his shoulders and opened up his protein bar cabinet. The boxes looked back at him, full of individually wrapped, sad nuggets of bare minimum nutrition. He didn’t want any of them, but not because he wasn’t hungry, so he blinked at them for a while in case one of them stood out. None of them did. Taeyong closed the cabinet again and turned around to squint at the fridge. Maybe it was the sleep, but he almost felt up for real food. 

The fridge was alarmingly full. Every last old takeout container and Tupperware they had, plus a few large bowls covered in saran wrap, held two weeks’ worth of frantic alpha cooking. It all looked pretty heavy. His stomach didn’t necessarily protest the idea of rich like usual, but he figured that would only last until bite number three and then he would regret everything. 

A soup takeout container full of Jaehyun’s homemade vegetable spaghetti sauce kept calling to him. It was one of the few things that didn’t have meat in it. There was a different container full of rotini pasta too. He scooped both into a bowl and put it in the microwave, and then went back to make sure there wasn’t anything that needed to be thrown away, but there wasn’t. The alphas had things perfectly organized. The inside of the fridge had been recently wiped down. Everything was labeled and dated, with the oldest things at the front and the newest things at the back. 

On the bottom shelf, wrapped in tinfoil and placed on a plastic baking tray lid, was a long package labeled “pork ribs attempt 3, use by oct. 24.” Taeyong sighed. Easily forty dollars of meat, allegedly two days expired, and Johnny wasn’t about to do any more smoking. No doubt once his rut was over, he would go back to his daily schedule of class, cafeteria, video games, and drinking. Taeyong took the meat out of the fridge, examined it for edibility, opened the spices cabinet, and began searching through cooking YouTube for tutorials. 

It struck him, six hours later as he took the ribs off the smoker, that the scent of meat and woodsmoke didn’t bother him today. He was just as surprised as he’d been when he’d went back for seconds on the spaghetti, and then had a large bowl of mashed potatoes as a snack. His stomach hadn’t protested once. Even on a good night’s sleep, it had been years since he ate so much so easily. Nausea must never have been because of the insomnia. It was always just the pills. 

As he let the ribs rest, he sent Johnny and Jaehyun a text to ask if they were decent. Johnny responded right as he was chopping them up. It said ‘mostly.’ Taeyong loaded half of the ribs on a plate, grabbed a roll of paper towels, made sure his blanket wasn’t dragging on the floor, and headed upstairs with a tight grip on the banister. 

The alphas’ door was unlocked. Taeyong took a deep breath and pushed it open. 

It was a mess. Towels of both the cloth and paper variety littered the floor. Woodsmoke and meat didn’t do it, but the stench of two alphas in rut had Taeyong itching to cover his nose. It looked like Johnny and Jaehyun had tried to create little fuck tents of their own, probably more for privacy than coziness. Johnny still had one sheet strung from the top of is dresser to a command hook on the wall, but the last corner had already fallen down and the rest of his tent was on the floor. He seemed to be sleeping, lying on his back, shirtless, with a sheet slung over his hips and his phone dropped onto his chest, and he was wearing a big pair of noise canceling headphones.

Jaehyun’s tent had fared a little better. One command hook on his wall held the corners of two sheets that draped from the top corner of Jaehyun’s bed to about where his knees were, obscuring most of his bed from Johnny’s side of the room. Taeyong could see his bare legs and the top of one shoulder but that was all.

“Delivery?” he tried, but got no response. He tiptoed into the room and left the door open in case one of them pulled a Yuta and he needed backup from Jungwoo or somebody. “Johnny?” As he got closer, it was clear he had something blasting in those headphones. It sounded like thunderstorm white noise. Taeyong reached out and poked his ankle. 

“Unng… W’sat smell?” Johnny dragged in a really deep breath, moaned, and rubbed a hand over his eyes. Taeyong waited for him to take off the headphones. Finally, he blinked awake and saw Taeyong at the foot of his bed. His whole face lit up. “Yong! What are… oh my god.” He sat up, beaming as he tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes. The blanket fell into the cradle of his lap and barely covered things. His whole torso glistened with a sheen of sweat and there was a warm pink glow on his cheeks and his chest. There were also a couple crusty white splatters on his wrist and his stomach and his hair was a disaster. “Are those my ribs? They smell amazing, holy shit.” He dragged the headphones off. 

“They were going to go bad, so…” 

“Are those for me?” 

“For both of you.” 

They both looked over at Jaehyun’s bed. He still hadn’t stirred. “I should probably wash my hands,” Johnny muttered, and then took his first good look at himself and winced. “Tell you what.” He rolled off the bed, taking his blanket with him. Taeyong got a quick glance at a very nice toned butt before Johnny got it wrapped around his hips. “We’ll go clean up a little before we eat those.” He reached through the blankets and grabbed Jaehyun’s shoulder. “Wake up, bro.” 

Jaehyun jerked hard and grunted. Johnny yanked his hand free as Jaehyun grabbed at him. “Take your headphones off,” Johnny grumbled, and Jaehyun groaned “th’fucc.” Another pair of noise cancelling headphones, clutched in Jaehyun’s hand, appeared in between the two sheets as he pushed the blankets aside. 

“The boyfriend is here with food, let’s go shower.” 

“Taeyong?” Jaehyun yanked the blanket back. The command strip popped off the wall and took the whole tent down. “Baby,” he breathed, and leapt out of bed. Johnny caught him around the shoulders. Jaehyun’s blanket slipped off and Taeyong jerked his eyes away fast but not before he saw his dick, dangling big and half hard between his legs. He was uncut, just like he said. It looked like he was already as big as Yuta was fully hard, and he sure did have a knot, even though it was still mostly deflated at the base. 

“H-hi Jay,” he said and winced. 

“Neither of us are touching him until we get showers.” 

“But-“ Jaehyun whined as Taeyong blinked hard at Johnny’s disgusting sheets. 

“Come on, Jay, we smell fucking disgusting.” 

“But Yong—” 

“We can talk to him afterwards.” 

Was that just a standing puddle of jizz by the wall? He set down the ribs on Johnny’s desk and tossed the green blanket over the back of his chair as Johnny shoved a protesting Jaehyun out the door. Once they were gone, he gingerly began pulling sheets onto the floor. Underneath the fitted sheet, the whole bed was covered in mattress pads of varying degrees of waterlogged. Taeyong looked around for a trash can, but they were both already overflowing with mattress pads and extra soft paper towels. He went to get the big bathroom can instead.

Both alphas were in one shower. They were not very big showers. Taeyong paused. 

“I’m not even going to touch him, christ, can you just let me talk to him before you drag me in here? Stop, I can wash my own hair.” 

“Then do it, dumbass.” 

“Oh… hnng…” 

There was a little gasp, a couple squeaks of skin on plastic. Taeyong raised his eyebrows as Johnny let out a tiny moan. “Dude, you seriously need to stop touching me,” he growled. 

“You stop first,” Jaehyun breathed. All motion in the shower ceased. Nobody made a sound for a few long moments, and then there were another couple squeaks and Jaehyun let out a shaky sigh. “Dude, seriously?” he whined, “why did we get in the same shower?” 

“Because I had to wrestle you in here and you kept trying to leave. I wanted to go to the other shower.” More squeaking. Johnny grunted, or maybe it was a groan.

“Well can you go now? I promise I’ll get clean.” 

“Hair and body?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Soap everywhere?” 

“…sure, fine.” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes.

“Okay,” said Johnny, but for a couple seconds, nobody moved again. “You’ll have to let go of me first.” 

“I was waiting for you to let go.” Jaehyun sounded a little winded.

It went quiet again. Taeyong stared at all the different kinds of whales on the shower curtain, all helpfully labeled, bowhead, humpback, sperm whale, and waited for them to start making out or something. Finally there was a loud squeak and Johnny shoved open the curtain and ducked under the bar. Taeyong threw up a hand to block his view of Johnny’s junk, but it was too late. Holy shit he was huge. And also half hard now. Johnny saw him and froze like a deer in headlights. 

“Oh hi,” he said. 

“Yong?” Jaehyun’s head popped out of the other side. “Are you okay? When did you get home? Donghyuck wouldn’t tell us.” 

Thankfully, he was still mostly behind the curtain. Taeyong swallowed down a little whine. “Um…” His voice sounded pretty normal. Johnny shuffled into the other shower and yanked his whales into place. “Wednesday night, I’m fine, finish showering and we’ll talk, okay? I’m just getting the trash can.” 

“Okay. I missed you.” His eyes glittered and fuck he looked hot with his hair all wet and slicked back like that. Taeyong swallowed down yet another wine. 

“I missed you too, babe.” 

Jaehyun’s cheeks dimpled hard and his eyes got all squishy. He disappeared back behind his whale curtain. Taeyong dragged the trash can across the hall. Jaehyun’s sheets came off next, and then he got all the mattress pads in the trashcan while he breathed very carefully through his mouth. How had this smell been hot when he fucked Yuta? It hadn’t been hot when he washed his sheets, and these sheets weren’t hot either. They were revolting.

He got all the sheets in hampers and all the pads in the trash can and despite how careful he’d been, his hands were covered in cum. He headed back to the bathroom to wash them. 

Jaehyun’s shower cut off just as he was rinsing the soap off. He figured he had enough time to get them dry and leave, but he got held up spinning in circles looking for the missing trash can, and the curtains pulled back just as Taeyong was trying to scoot out the door.

“Baby,” Jaehyun breathed. Before Taeyong could even turn, Jaehyun spun him around by the hips and pinned him against the doorframe. Taeyong caught a glimpse of deep brown eyes and squishy dimples and then Jaehyun’s mouth smashed into his. Jaehyun kissed him like he was starving, and Taeyong closed his eyes and let him. He was tired and his body ached all over, even Jaehyun’s tongue in his mouth was a touch overwhelming, but Taeyong couldn’t bring himself to push away a hot, naked alpha sucking on his lips like his life depended on it. Even after the shower, his scent was so strong. Taeyong grabbed one of Jaehyun’s hips and realized that the towel wasn’t wrapped around him at all. It was just pinned between their hips to keep Jaehyun’s dick off him, but he could still feel the thick, hard shape of it through the fabric, pressing into his stomach. 

“Jay,” Johnny bust out of his shower, growling, “are you fucking—”

“AAAAAH!!” Jungwoo screamed from halfway up the stairs. There was a loud thump, and then a series of bumps. Jaehyun finally stopped kissing him. Taeyong twisted around to find Jungwoo, and just saw his feet sticking up around the corner.

“Woo are you okay?”

“Hahrng!”

“Did he fall?” Jaehyun backed off just a smidge so Taeyong could squeeze out. He hurried down the steps too fast. One of his knees buckled. Jungwoo screamed again when Taeyong almost fell on top of him, and a third time when both naked alphas stampeded around the corner to help. Taeyong sat right down on the stairs and laughed.

Poor Jungwoo had apparently toppled backwards. He’d managed to save himself from a full tumble, but he was lying upside down on the stairs with a hand planted on a step behind his head so he wouldn’t keep sliding. It looked like he hadn’t quite figured out what to do next. Johnny, who actually had a towel on, stomped down the steps towards an increasingly horrified Jungwoo and easily tipped the screaming boy back upright. Jungwoo curled up against the wall and wailed.

While Taeyong laughed, Jaehyun sat down on the stair behind him and pulled Taeyong back into his bare chest. His long, naked legs spread out on either side Taeyong’s hips. Taeyong let him peel his hand off the banister.

“Oh my god my eyes,” Jungwoo wailed. “Why are you guys just hanging out in the hallway with those things swinging around?”

Johnny plopped down on a stair too with an expression like he was in pain and his hands pressing into his lap. “We weren’t going to be there for long. Bad timing.”

Jaehyun hugged Taeyong tight against his chest, but he flinched and whispered “sorry” every time his dick brushed Taeyong’s back.

“It’s fine,” Taeyong giggled and leaned back against Jaehyun’s lap with a hand curled around his thigh to keep him from jerking away. Jaehyun’s leg shook under his palm. “Dude, where’s your towel?” Jaehyun’s cock was hard and hot up against his back. Without any towel in the way, Taeyong could feel the knot pressing into his spine.

“I think I dropped it,” he panted, and tucked his face into Taeyong’s hair as he squeezed him closer.

“What are you two doing?” Jungwoo squeaked. 

“Guys,” Johnny grunted, strained, “we should get back to the room—”

Donghyuck slid to the bottom of the stairs with a sticky pork rib in his fingers and his eyes bugged. “UGH!! Dad go put some fucking clothes on! Oh my god why is Jaehyun completely naked? Why are you guys here? Why is Jungwoo here?”

“I don’t know!” Jungwoo wailed and tried to crawl into the wall. “They’re both hard and they smell! Where did you get that?”

The alphas began quietly plotting the logistics of moving as Donghyuck shrugged. “They were on the counter, figured they were fair game.”

Jungwoo squinted back at Johnny. “You’re not cooking while hard, are you?”

“Nah, these are way better than Johnny’s.” Donghyuck took another large munch. Johnny cut off halfway through the word ‘towel’ and said “what?”

“Okay cutie, we gotta stand,” Jaehyun said in his ear, “but you’re my only coverage. Hold on to the banister.”

“They’re up for grabs,” Taeyong said as he put a hand on the banister. “Save some for your brothers.” Behind him Jaehyun grunted and stood, lifting Taeyong with him.

“Hot fucking shit fuck yes lets fucking go,” Jungwoo thundered his way down the stairs and ripped the rib right out of Donghyuck’s hands. Donghyuck shrieked and jumped up on Jungwoo like an angry squirrel, reaching for the meat.

“Let’s move while they’re distracted.” Taeyong spun to push Jaehyun up the stairs, which put the dick, fully hard and standing tall, somewhere in the center of Taeyong’s chest. “Whoa-“ Jaehyun turned and Taeyong got his cute little butt instead, but then he disappeared around the corner and Johnny also went “whoa!” from the top of the stairs. By the time Taeyong struggled back up the next few steps, the hallway was empty. The alpha’s voices drifted from their open door, still arguing about towels. Taeyong followed them in.

Thankfully, there weren’t any dicks out in the open. Jaehyun sat cross-legged on the floor with part of his tent stuffed in his lap, and Johnny still had his towel, though it stuck out suspiciously between his hips.

“Mr. President, are there any house rules about nudity?”

Taeyong stuck out his bottom lip. It just looked like he was thinking, he promised himself, not that he was upset about being ‘Mr. President’ all of a sudden and not ‘baby.’ He figured he better get used to that. “I don’t think anybody thought nudity would be a problem when we wrote the rules, so no.”

“Ha!” said Johnny. Jaehyun rolled his eyes.

“I was joking, dude, I didn’t actually think we had nudity rules.”

“Want food?”

Both alphas sat up a little straighter. “Did you really smoke them?”

“Yeah, it was easier than I thought.” He pulled his green blanket over his shoulders again and carried the ribs over. “Have they been feeding you guys well?”

“I mean it’s just warmed up leftovers, but yeah.” Johnny reached for the ribs before the plate even hit the ground, but Jaehyun didn’t touch them until he had Taeyong pulled right up against his side.

“Are they good, Johnny?”

There was a horribly ripping noise and then a loud suck as Johnny slurped half the rib into his mouth at once. Jaehyun hummed. “Wow, comes right off the bone.”

Johnny chewed, frantically at first, and then slower. His head tipped to the side. His eyebrows furrowed. Jaehyun took his own less frantic bite as Johnny looked up with his cheeks still full of food and his eyes glistened.

“Wow, John, they really are better than yours.”

“Jaehyun, shh.”

Jaehyun stopped chewing and looked up just as Johnny dropped his head and buried his face in his clean hand. “Bro, are you crying?”

“They’re so good,” Johnny whimpered, high and wobbly, and then he sniffled. “They’re so much better than mine.”

“Aw,” Jaehyun giggled and gnawed the rest of the meat off his. “D’be vair…” He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth and chewed harder so he could swallow once before he tried again. “Ta mbe fair, yours were bretty good. Right babe?” He squeezed Taeyong’s waist.

“I haven’t tried either so I couldn’t say.”

“Hnng…” Johnny sniffled again and took another massive chomp out of his. It dangled out of the corner of his mouth. Even for Taeyong’s unusually calm stomach, there were limits. He swallowed down a gag.

“Could you guys please eat like people? I’m might have to leave if you don’t.”

“What?” Jaehyun’s half eaten rib clattered back onto the plate. He wiped his sticky fingers off on the sheet and hauled Taeyong into his lap. “Yong, no, please don’t leave.” He wrapped all four limbs around him and snuggled sweetly into his neck.

“I don’t want to but—”

A loud growl ripped out of Jaehyun’s throat. Taeyong jumped hard. Strong alpha arms clamped around his shoulders with bruising force and crushed Taeyong against his body. Taeyong cried out and thrashed. He could feel Jaehyun’s cock again, rock hard through the tent sheet against the back of his thigh. It would have been hot if Taeyong didn’t still feel like he was one strong wind away from falling apart, and if he knew what the fuck was going on.

“HEY!” Johnny dove over the plate of ribs and grabbed the back of Jaehyun’s neck. “Jae snap the fuck out of it!”

The growling cut off and Jaehyun gasped. His arms popped loose and he reeled back. Johnny dragged him away. He lay on the rug with his damp hair mussed and his pale skin flushed pink. Every inch of his long, bare body was lean and powerful. Thick, milky goo dripped from the exposed head of his very hard, very big cock, and slid down his shaft over the deep red swell of his knot and onto a very impressive pair of balls. Taeyong flushed white hot. A shiver ran up his spine.

“He fucking _reeks_ of Yuta,” Jaehyun growled. His eyes were wide and unfocused, and his hand fisted into a towel on the floor that Taeyong realized, with a jolt, was Johnny’s. “Why do you…” His face twisted between feral fury and heartbreak. Taeyong’s stomach filled with ice, and he got the horrible swooping feeling that he’d done something terribly wrong, but he hadn’t. He looked to Johnny for backup, but his Johnny’s face was colored with betrayal. He shook his head. 

“We need to…” He shook at again and stood, headed for the door. Taeyong’s heart slammed against his ribs with the same fear that he’d had when Yuta dragged him into his fuck tent as Johnny pushed it shut.

But just like Yuta, they would never hurt him. They just needed a firm hand.

“Johnny open the fucking door.”

Johnny froze, half turned around. He blinked at Taeyong. “I-I just… cuz we’re naked, I don’t want—”

“Open it!”

Johnny yanked it back open. Taeyong heaved a sigh of relief. His heart still pounded so hard that he could hear it in his ears, but Johnny and Jaehyun looked more stunned than angry now. Jaehyun blinked rapidly and shook his head like he was trying to get water out of his ears.

“I smell like Yuta because he’s helping Doyoung take care of me, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Jaehyun deflated on the rug. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

“Taeyong you know I was just closing the door because our dicks are out, right?” Johnny backed slowly towards an abandoned hoody and used that to cover up. “I wasn’t trying to lock you in here or anything.”

“Then cover your dicks up. I don’t want it closed.”

The alphas looked at each other with wide, sad eyes. Jaehyun sat up and dragged his tent blanket over his shoulders. There was no way it wasn’t covered in alpha dick goo. Taeyong winced.

“I’m really sorry,” he said softly, eyes fixed on his lap.

“Me too.” Johnny slid down beside Jaehyun and rubbed his back. “I’m so sorry we scared you. That was really out of line.” His lower lip stuck out, all pouty.

“It’s fine. I know rut hormones are no joke.” Speaking of, Jaehyun’s eyes slipped shut and his mouth dropped open. He bent forward as Johnny rubbed and let out a soft little moan. Taeyong’s eyebrows shot up. Johnny blinked morosely down at Jaehyun’s clearly erotic reaction and didn’t stop.

“We’re going crazy in here,” Johnny said with a sigh. “It fucking sucks.”

“I can’t believe I lost it again,” Jaehyun grumbled miserably. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?” he pouted up at him, so guilty and sad and cute.

“Stop, I’m fine.” Taeyong itched to drop the blanket and crawl back into his lap. “I’m actually kinda frustrated because normally I like being held too tight like that. Like, I’ve been looking forward to spending rut with you guys all week but now I can’t.”

“Aw, Yong…”

“I probably shouldn’t have yelled at Johnny so hard, I know you guys are just jacked up on hormones and you’d never hurt me. I’m just so, so not up for sex. I kinda panicked.”

“O-oh yeah we need to talk about…” Jaehyun grimaced and shifted under his blanket. “How are you doing? Last we heard you were in the hospital.”

“They just let me sleep through the day there, then I came home. I’ve felt like shit ever since, but at least my stomach is doing okay today even if my head and my body aren’t.” He pushed the plate of ribs closer and Johnny grabbed one with the hand that wasn’t settled on the small of Jaehyun’s back. “I’m missing three days of class this week so that sucks.”

“I bet you’ll still make straight As this semester,” said Johnny around a mouthful of rib, but Jaehyun didn’t seem to notice the ribs. His eyelashes fluttered. He shifted again to pull his legs up underneath him, and then winced and slipped down onto one hip with his legs folded to the side instead. His mouth dropped open when Johnny’s hand skated up his spine. “That Namjoon guy said you woke up pretty quick after you fainted, but you seemed really out of it and you kept falling asleep again.”

“Really? I don’t remember that. I just remember leaving the dining hall and waking up in the hospital.”

Jaehyun curled up with his knees to his chest and gasped into his arms.

“So how are you guys doing?”

“It’s been interesting…” Johnny got a new rib and offered it to Jaehyun. He finally seemed to notice the state Jaehyun was in, so he ate it instead, but his hand stayed on Jaehyun’s back.

“Yeah, I can tell.”

“Mm… Shit, these are so good, babe.” He moaned around a big bite. “Like, seriously these are not helping me get rid of this boner.”

Taeyong snorted. “I’ve gotten lots of compliments on my cooking but ‘arousing’ is a new one.”

Johnny moaned again and nodded. “I’m definitely thinking about these while I get off later. Fuck, I’m so hungry.”

“Are you guys drinking enough water?”

While Johnny pointed out all the massive water bottles all over the place, Jaehyun dropped his knees back to cross-legged. He kept his head down with his lip between his teeth and one knee bounced really fast.

“With the tents and the headphones, we can’t really hear or see each other. It’s almost like being alone except for the smell. That took some getting used to.”

“Did you guys fight at all?”

Johnny shrugged. “We threw things at each other. I did a lot of growling, I don’t know if he growled because I couldn’t hear him. We wrestled over the last grilled cheese once, but that was way too much skin on skin for a couple of guys in rut so it didn’t get very far.”

Jaehyun let out a low whine and curled over his lap. Taeyong’s curiosity finally got the best of him.

“What’s with the touching?”

“Oh, uh…” Johnny dropped his sauce covered rib onto his hoody. Taeyong flinched. “Shit.”

“I’ll clean it.”

“Really? Thanks honey, you’re an angel.” He picked it back up and took another bite. His hand slid back down to the small of Jaehyun’s back, who shuddered and gasped, curling tighter. Finally, Johnny took his hand off. “We’re both pretty frustrated obviously. A little human contact goes a long way, so we’re just trying to help each other out. It’s super fucking weird but it makes things a little better.”

Taeyong tried to imagine what kind of negotiation they’d had to do to come up with that little deal and every scenario looked more like a porno than the last. Two alphas, naked and hard, putting their hands on each other just to take the edge off and forcing themselves to pull back when it got too good.

“I’m always amazing how well you guys get along.”

“Ha.” Johnny winced as he started counting through bones, making sure he wasn’t taking more than his share. “After this we’re either going to be bonded for life or we’re never going to be able to look each other in the eye again.”

“So dramatic.” Taeyong smiled at them as Johnny set aside Jaehyun’s share and bit his lip before he reached out slowly and slid a hand over the back of Jaehyun’s neck. Jaehyun whined high in his throat and collapsed onto his side. Both his hands were out of sight under the blanket, but Taeyong had a pretty good guess where they were.

“I should probably go so he can…”

Johnny pouted. “Aw, Yong, it’s fine, you can st—”

“P-please close the door,” Jaehyun whimpered. “It h-hurts, I need…hnnng…”

“I’ll go get you guys some sheets, okay? Johnny will you get new mattress pads on the beds while I’m gone?”

“Yeah, I’m on it.” He snarfed down his last rib and got to work with his hoody still pressed to his crotch. Taeyong made his exit and shut the door behind him. He took his time collecting new sheets. He had one spare set, and the set on his bed had been washed by the alphas after they got him off the one night. Taeyong got those folded and then sat down on his bare mattress to gave them another five minutes or so.

He didn’t feel sick. No nausea, but somehow, he definitely, definitely wasn’t up to get thrown around and knotted today. It had less to do with his recovery and more to do with a dark cloud that hung over his head. It felt like the last time he’d walked through his high school hallways before he graduated, already empty for the summer, ready to forget him, or when he moved out of his beloved dorm freshman year. After he took down the posters, and the curtains, and packed up all the little things he’d collected over the year, the place that was home disappeared into white walls, hard floors, and empty furniture. Then he had to haul it all into his car with his shaking, burnt out limbs and drive it five hours home. Maybe he was moving on to better pastures, it was impossible to say, but suddenly the normal he knew was over, and the only thing right ahead was more thankless, exhausting work.

Maybe not completely thankless. Taeyong checked the time on his phone. They’d had about ten minutes. He ditched the green blanket, took all the sheets, and knocked on the alphas’ door. “You guys done?”

“We’re good for the moment, yeah.” Johnny opened the door back up. His headphones were back on, but he slipped them down around his neck. His dirty hoody that had been over his junk was replaced by a towel again, though he was still at least partially hard. Jaehyun lay spread out on his back on the rug, still naked, with one hand buried in the bundle of tent sheet at his crotch and the other wrist deep in the rib plate.

“Baby these are so fucking good, my knot is never going to go down.”

Taeyong snorted and Johnny said “jesus, Jay, TMI.”

“What? You were the one who said they made you hard first.”

“Okay,” Taeyong shoved his sheets pile at Johnny. “Some of these are my spare sheets, the others I took off my bed. You can divvy them up however you want.”

The entire stack got snatched out of his hands. “Dibs on his fitted sheet!” Johnny stuffed both sheets to his nose and frowned. “They all smell clean.”

“I only slept on them once.”

“But you’ve been back for two nights…” Jaehyun groaned. “Is that why the green blanket smelled so much like Yuta?”

Taeyong didn’t bother answering. He got to work making sure the mattress pads covered the whole mattress and that the sheets were tucked into place. He grabbed towels and blankets off the floor and piled them on top of the rest of the laundry. “Where’s your barbeque hoody, Johnny?”

“It’s there.” He pointed a toe at a lump of fabric by the corner of his bed. Taeyong came and got it, since Johnny was busy getting his fitted sheet all tucked in.

“Can I have that sheet, Jay?” He pointed to the crumpled wet sheet on his hips.

Jaehyun stopped munching and put a hand over his mouth so he could talk, like a nice, polite boy.

“You can take it, but both my hands are busy.” He smirked.

“Oh-ho. Are you trying to flash me again?”

“Is it flashing if you’re the one who exposes me?”

Taeyong crossed his arms and pretended to think about it, but he was mostly just wondering if he should keep flirting like this when he didn’t want to stick around. What was he supposed to do after he took the blanket off? Stare at his dick? Touch it? Get on his knees and lick it clean?

“You can keep it,” he grumbled, and went to pick up a hamper. 

“Yong, wait, baby come back.”

“Come back and do what?” Taeyong looked over his shoulder and found Jaehyun had sat up. The sheet balanced precariously in his lap.

“Are you leaving?”

“Of course he’s leaving, bro. It’s not like he’s gonna just stick around and watch us jerk off.” Johnny leaned back against his freshly set bed and crossed his thick, gorgeous arms. “The man was in the hospital two days ago. He’s not up for it.”

“I know that.” Jaehyun hastily licked his barbeque handling fingers clean and wiped them off on his sheet. “I’ve just missed you a lot and I barely got to spend any time with you.”

“Aw, Jay.” Taeyong set his hamper down and went back to Jaehyun, who looked up at him from his knees with big, glittery eyes. Taeyong sank down and hugged him around the neck. He smelled so good, so rich and familiar, and his soft, damp skin was fever hot. He moaned when Taeyong tucked his face into his shoulder.

“And after this we won’t be fake boyfriends anymore.”

“I-I know.” He pressed a kiss into Jaehyun’s bare shoulder and felt him shiver. “It sucks that we couldn’t make the most of it, but you won’t be so sad about it when the hormones are gone.”

“I guess,” Jaehyun whined. Taeyong turned his head to the side and kissed Jaehyun’s neck, just to feel him shiver again, then his jaw, his cheek where his dimple always appeared, and then finally his lips. Behind him Johnny swore under his breath, but Taeyong ignored him for now. Jaehyun’s lips were so soft, and he tasted like Taeyong’s homemade barbeque sauce and woodsmoke, and it still didn’t bother his stomach at all. He kissed Jaehyun slow and deep, with all the affection he could muster, until his heart was too heavy to kiss anymore.

“When your rut is over, will you still come cuddle me when I can’t sleep?”

“Of course,” Jaehyun whispered.

Taeyong almost promised to come check in again tomorrow, but he remembered what Yuta was like on the third day of sexless rut when his nesting buddy came by. I might do more harm than good. He gave his prince charming of a boyfriend one last lingering kiss and promised himself that he’d give him a better thank you for the good times later when rut was over and it wouldn’t make him cry. 

“See you soon,” he said, and then stood. Now he had to summon up the energy to do it again. Johnny had his earphones back on, and his back to them, which gave Taeyong the opportunity to sneak up behind him. He smacked a hand firmly down on Johnny’s towel covered butt. He jumped.

“Is it finally my turn?” Johnny tossed his headphones onto the bed and turned around.

“Yup.” He grabbed Johnny’s waist, stretched up on his toes, and kissed him too. He tasted like barbeque sauce and woodsmoke, just like Jaehyun, and his lips were plush and soft. His arms wrapped tight around Taeyong’s back. Johnny kisses were always so intense. There was something about the way Johnny squeezed him in close and moaned into his mouth that made Taeyong’s knees weak. Every time Taeyong’s lips pressed back to his, his breath hitched. Taeyong could feel the huge shape of his cock tucked across his hip under the towel. His knot pressed into Taeyong’s lower stomach and twitched, which sent a nervous little thrill down Taeyong’s spine that wasn’t entirely pleasant. The dark cloud hovered. 

“Wow,” Taeyong whispered into Johnny’s mouth. “Those ribs do taste good.”

Johnny laughed. “Gross.”

“Yeah.” He gave Johnny another little kiss anyway before he pulled back. “Okay, I’ve got laundry to do.” Those slick, soft lips Taeyong had just been sucking on got all pouty. Taeyong poked one. “Stay hydrated, okay?”

Both alphas whined and sulked, but Taeyong hauled their laundry hampers into the hallway and shut the door behind him before things could get any sappier. “Donghyuck,” he shouted down the stairs.

A sharp little voice shrieked “what?!” from the living room, along with the telltale machine gun and footsteps sound effects that came with whatever FPS Donghyuck was playing.

“Ready to do your disciplinary action for those chairs?”

Donghyuck howled and whined the entire time, but he helped Taeyong haul the pungent laundry down the stairs and out back to the hose in the yard. There wasn’t a single peaceful moment as Taeyong dragged each sheet out for him to spray down. Sorority girls in the parking lot stared over their shoulders as Taeyong held Jaehyun’s most recent sheet by the tips of his fingers as far away from his body as he could and Donghyuck wailed as he doused slippery, translucent knot cum out of it. The laundry hampers, filled with enough goop in to run down the bottoms when turned on their sides, both got hosed out and left in the sun until Taeyong could give them a good bleach, and then Taeyong dragged all the wet fabric inside to start two large loads of laundry, shed his own drenched clothes, and take a long shower. 

Two pills landed in Taeyong’s palm, oblong and white. Taeyong popped them into his mouth right way, no problem. Doyoung passed him a water bottle too. “Going back to Yuta’s tonight?”

“Unless you want to spoon me all night, yeah.”

Doyoung’s face twisted up like he had the pungent laundry right in front of him. “Eugh.”

Taeyong smacked him with the water bottle. “Hey! What do you have against cuddling me, huh?”

“Nothing, I’m kidding.” Doyoung gave him a light slug on the shoulder. “I just can’t sleep with other people in the bed. I’ve tried when Jungwoo falls asleep while we’re watching Netflix but I can’t do it.”

“Can I get a hug though?”

Doyoung made his face again. Taeyong did his puppy dog eyes. The really intense ones. Doyoung’s face only got more disgusted. “That doesn’t work on me. Who do you think I am? Jaehyun?”

Now it was Taeyong’s turn to grimace over comparing his relationships with Doyoung and Jaehyun. Doyoung snickered and pulled Taeyong in for his hug, just like Taeyong knew he would. He buried his whole face in Doyoung’s shoulder.

“You won’t be this skinny for much longer,” Doyoung murmured against his hair. “I saw you go back for seconds at dinner.”

“Yeah, and then I felt sick.” He took a deep breath and reassessed his stomach situation again. He still felt a little nauseous, or at least he thought he did. It was still way better than usual. “I’ve eaten so much today. I don’t think my body knows how to handle that much food.”

“You barely had two square meals.” Doyoung rubbed his back. “I’m not going to miss being able to feel your ribs.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, my stress levels aren’t going anywhere.” Taeyong detached from Doyoung’s front.

“Maybe you’ll end up being a stress eater.” Doyoung smiled and poked his tummy.

“That would be convenient.” He swatted the finger away and went to grab his green blanket off his bed. “I better get comfy before these pills kick in. See you in the morning.” He gave Doyoung a little wave and headed across the hall.

Yuta was spread out on his floor with his study materials in front of him.

“How are you feeling, Yong,” he said without looking up.

“Good but weird.” He flopped down on Yuta’s bed, not sleepy at all yet. 

“I’ll be done with this soon and then I can cuddle you.”

“Take your time, it’s only ten.”

The quiet scratch of Yuta’s pen filled the silence, along with Lucas’s goofy laugh from downstairs and the heavy metal screeching drifting out of one earbud dangling down Yuta back. Taeyong blinked up at the ceiling and wondered if Jaehyun rubbed Johnny’s back when the need got bad the same way Johnny rubbed his.

“Think you’ll be up to fuck your boyfriends tomorrow?”

“Not after all their god damn laundry.”

Yuta threw back his head and cackled. “You’re too nice, you should have let them wallow in it.”

“But then I wouldn’t have gotten to see Donghyuck literally cry over the smell.”

Yuta clapped like a seal and treated Taeyong to his big intimidating alpha giggle. Taeyong watched him with a swell of pride. Yuta was one of the scariest alphas on campus. Back when Taeyong hadn’t even met him, he’d known him as the alpha who’d easily taken the crown in all the freshman alpha brawls that happened their first year, as all the new alphas on campus tried to establish a reputation for themselves. Then Yuta turned out to be one of their class’s cutest alphas too, known for his manners, his sense of humor, and his handsome smile. How lucky they were to have him here in SigMu. Their other alphas were just as notorious for being sweet, funny, and handsome. It was no wonder their reputation was so good. He wondered how a male omega would change that. The very first whisps of sleepiness that had just begun to drift behind his eyes disappeared, and all the nausea from dinner came back. Taeyong turned on his side with a sigh.

“You good?”

“U-uh, I guess…” What if they’re reputation got so bad that they were never able to recruit quality pledges again? What if he had to debrother to save the frat? At least a few of the brothers would still spend time with him. When he’d flushed the orange pills, he definitely hadn’t considered that he might have to give up the most important part of his college experience.

Yuta’s door swung open with a sharp click, and Mark strolled in with one of his friends. The taller nervous one.

“Hey! Oh hey, Taeyong.”

“Uh, hi,” said the other boy.

Taeyong gave a little wave and tried to swallow down all his panic. “Nice job on your solo, Mark!”

Mark’s face broke out in a big grin. “Thanks man, I think it went pretty well.”

“Yeah, you killed it!” Yuta gave him a big thumbs up. “That’s our Mark.”

Talk about SigMu reputation. The round of applause Mark got had been loud enough to make Taeyong’s head swim. Regrettably, he remembered it even more than the solo itself, because he had spent the whole concert curled up tight in his little seat in the big, dark room, full of strange people, feeling cold and a little sick and wondering how long it would last so he could go back to somewhere familiar and safe.

“It’s too bad your big and your twin had to miss it.”

Mark shrugged. “Johnny said they watched the livestream together.”

“Great,” Yuta grinned, “how do you feel knowing your big and your twin jacked off together to your flute solo?”

Mark’s eyes widened. He turned very pink. “Come on, Jisung, let’s go hang out in the bathroom instead.”

“No wait, Markie Mark come back,” Yuta giggled and scrambled for Mark’s ankle. “I’m kidding, I’m sure they paused the livestream before they got each other off.”

“Uuugh!” Mark yanked his ankle away and wiggled out the door, so Yuta grabbed Jisung’s ankle instead who jumped hard and flapped his big hands around.

“Come here, Jisung, come join us. We’ll tell you all about Donghyuck rolling in alpha splooge.”

“Mark, help!”

“Yuta do not harass the PNMs!” Taeyong whipped out a foot and kicked Yuta in the shoulder. “You’ve done more rolling in alpha splooge than any of us.”

“My own splooge doesn’t count,” Yuta said, and pulled Jisung’s ankle so hard that the poor boy toppled onto his butt with a yelp, “which means that you are the one who has rolled in the most alpha splooge.”

“Mark!” Jisung clawed his way towards the door.

Mark peeked back around the corner and glared. “I was going to ask if we could hang out in here but maybe Jungwoo’s free…”

“No! Sorry, I’ll stop talking about your big’s alpha splooge.” He released Jisung. Taeyong reached for him instead, ready to do recruitment damage control.

“Sorry about that. I swear we don’t usually tease each other like this, it’s just Yuta…”

“Uh, it’s fine…” Jisung crawled over to lean against the bed right by Taeyong’s head. “Jaemin makes jokes about Jeno’s gross alpha stuff all the time. I’m used to it.”

“Aren’t they dating?”

“Yeah…” Jisung nodded. His eyes got very wide. “So he has a _lot_ of jokes. Every time they fuck he comes out saying he needs another shower because the one Jeno gave him didn’t get his hair clean.”

“HAHA!” Yuta collapsed over his notes giggling.

“It stops being funny when you have to hear it every fucking day.”

“Taeyong,” Yuta snickered, “you have to give them bids.”

“Shh!” Taeyong kicked him again. “We’re not allowed to talk about bids in front of PNMs, it’s not fair.”

“It’s informal!” Yuta whined, “no rules!”

Some of Jisung’s hair had been messed up in his tumble. He ruffled it back into place, but a couple strands still stuck out. Taeyong realized that the sleep pills were beginning to kick in when he reached up and brushed his fingers through it without thinking, but Jisung smiled and leaned into Taeyong’s touch, so Taeyong kept petting.

Yuta motioned at Mark. “Sit down and be quiet while I finish this reading. Three minutes.”

“K.” Mark climbed over Taeyong and flopped down behind him. His shoulder pressed up against Taeyong’s back. “Taeyong, what are you doing in here, by the way?” 

“Sleepover. You?” Jisung’s hair slipped through his fingers, soft and feathery. He seemed very cute, with his head tipped against the bed so Taeyong could reach him better. 

“Donghyuck kicked us out.”

“So many people masturbating in this house right now,” said Yuta. “Taeil and Jungwoo are alone in their rooms, Donghyuck’s alone in his room, Doyoung’s alone in his room,” Taeyong made a quiet retching noise, “Johnny and Jaehyun aren’t alone but that’s not stopping them. If I was alone I know what I’d be doing.”

“Do your homework, Yuta.”

“Something about Mark’s flute playing is just—”

Taeyong kicked him. “Do your homework.”

“Mark’s flute playing is the most erotic sound on the planet,” said Jisung.

Mark barked “What?” and Yuta giggled.

“Whenever he practices at our dorm, I have to hear more jokes about alpha splooge showers.”

“Ew, what?? Mark squeaked, “When? Are you serious?”

Yuta giggled harder.

Jisung exchanged a grin with Taeyong and didn’t answer. Mark didn’t press. The occasional inane TikTok noises coming from over Taeyong’s shoulder suggested that he’d forgotten about it already. Taeyong’s blinked slowly and realized his hand had gone slack and rested itself on Jisung’s shoulder. He took a deep breath and shook himself awake again.

“Jisung, are you a sophomore?”

“Freshman actually. Chenle and I both are.”

“How’s your first semester going?” He tried to reach back up into Jisung’s hair but only got as far as the back of his neck. Jisung just smiled and tipped his head forward as Taeyong managed a few sluggish rubs.

“Good so far. I was nervous because I got put in the sophomore dorms, but Chenle and I ended up in the same suite as Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin, and it’s been great.”

“Did you guys just sign up last?” he may have been slurring a little.

“I signed up too late and the freshman dorms were out of room. Chenle paid extra because the sophomore dorms are nicer.”

“He’s not wrong.” Taeyong’s hand had gone still again. It was shaking. Jisung noticed too. He reached behind his neck to gently grasp Taeyong’s fingers with a cute little pout on his lips.

“Are you cold?”

“No…”

Yuta’s book snapped shut. “Did you take your last sleeping pills?”

“Uh huh…” Taeyong blinked, and Yuta’s face appeared next to Jisung’s. He reached out and pet Taeyong’s side over the green blanket.

“Taeyong had a hard week.”

Jisung’s eyebrows went up. “Oh, were you the one who passed out?”

Taeyong nodded. 

“Oh.” Jisung’s eyebrows tipped in and deepened his pout. “Mark and Donghyuck were so worried when that happened.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “They were hanging out in our dorm when they heard about it, and then they both skipped class just to sit on the floor with the phone until they knew you were going to be okay.”

Taeyong rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “They did? Mark, you skipped class?” He struggled to look over his shoulder at Mark, who looked up from his Tiktoks and blinked at him.

“Yeah, the whole frat did.”

For a few moments Taeyong thought about how silly it was that eleven boys missed their classes just because he took an impromptu nap on the student center stairs, but then it slowly sank in. Every single one of his brothers had risked their grades and paused their lives when he fell until they were sure he was safe. Taeyong’s heart swelled up into his throat and his eyes smarted. Jisung murmured “Oh no” in a tiny voice and swiped a tear off Taeyong’s temple.

Never in Taeyong’s life had he felt so incredibly loved. How the hell had he earned that? And he spent the last few days fretting about alphas and recruitment and orange pills. Sigma Mu and his brothers were the most important thing he had ever had in his life, but not even twenty-four hours after they dropped everything to do a SigMu-wide vigil for him, he put the frat in jeopardy by flushing his meds. He’d forgotten Yuta and Sicheng’s birthdays. He hadn’t even paid attention to Mark’s flute solo.

“Taeyong, what’s wrong?” Mark turned and snuggled up to his back. Taeyong choked down his sobs as much as he could, and managed to turn them into quiet, breathy little things until they squeaked out as high pitched whines. Yuta rubbed his side. Even Jisung timidly slid his fingers through Taeyong’s hair as Taeyong buried his face in his hands and sniffled out a few more sobs.

“M’sorry,” he whined, and got shushed by everyone. “Fuck I d-don’t… I-I don’t des-serve you g-guys…”

“Bro,” Mark murmured, “we’re the ones who don’t deserve you.”

Taeyong squeezed Mark’s hand against his chest and prayed he still felt that way when he started smelling like sex the same way the alphas did, whether that was days or months from now.

“Thank you Mark,” Taeyong whimpered. He tucked his eyes into his pillow and started planning all the ways he would make it up to his brothers. He could set more time aside for them somehow, maybe study in the house more, use his suddenly calm stomach to make them food all the time. 

He could leave them. He couldn’t bear to go back on the pills, so instead he could take off his letters so that his brothers’ precious, already precarious fraternity wouldn’t collapse under his scandal.

He reluctantly made plans to talk to Doyoung about it, but he didn’t get far. Mark’s warmth seeped into his back. Yuta and Jisung’s hands were kind and soothing. The sleeping meds pulled him gently away from them, into dreams about lurid green chairs and naked alphas.


	13. Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm traveling home for the holidays tomorrow so I get to post the chapter early! surprise! 
> 
> Also, I forgot to post this last week but lovely people on twitter and I have compiled [Yuta's metal playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3AA46ehOn95FNWcPYW6SQW). If you have more metal songs you would like to see on his playlist, please DM on twitter! The link to my twitter is in the end notes.

The light in Yuta’s room in the morning was different than Taeyong’s. The sun had just barely risen when Taeyong opened his eyes, and he caught the last soft blue light of pre-dawn before yellow sunrise flooded through Yuta’s windows. The sun rose on this side of the house, and dawn in Yuta’s room was bright and warm in a way it never was in Taeyong’s. 

His last dream had been in this room, under a dark canopy of stolen blankets, but it had been Jaehyun crouching over him, pressed between his legs, murmuring sweet nothings in his soft, low voice as he filled Taeyong with deep heat. Now that he was awake, it was Mark snuggled up behind him, snoring against the top of Taeyong’s spine. His cuddles were nice, but the ghost of dream Jaehyun’s big, warm body still stuck in the front of his mind. Taeyong ached for the precious few times he’d woken up with Jaehyun curled around his back. 

Taeyong crawled carefully out of Mark’s arms. Jisung was fast asleep on the other side of the bed, stuffed against the wall, and Yuta was missing, but when Taeyong tiptoed into his room to get his phone and his shower stuff he found Yuta still asleep on a set off freshly cleaned alpha sheets in Taeyong’s bed. With his stuff in hand, Taeyong stumbled downstairs on his still weak, shaking legs, thinking of Johnny’s coffee and the way he’d smiled when he waved goodbye to Taeyong every morning for the past two weeks. The pour over setup sat on the counter, ready and waiting, but Taeyong didn’t have the energy. He didn’t have the energy to make real breakfast either, so it was back to his protein bars. 

He skimmed through his emails as he sat on the toilet and thought of Johnny and Jaehyun scrubbing the room from top to bottom all week, and of how they’d cuddled him on the cold tile floor when he felt his worst. In the shower he thought of their gorgeous bodies and the way they’d touched him the one time he let them. Johnny’s pretty lips and Jaehyun’s beautiful skin. His sexy dream played over and over behind his eyelids as he bathed himself, and he only realized his soapy finger had been circling his rim for a good minute when he moaned. 

Taeyong finished washing quickly and dried off, but then he stood in the shower for a long time and blinked down at his half hard dick. It didn’t seem ready to go down at all. Taeyong wrapped his towel securely around his waist, pulled his shirt back on, and left the bathroom. 

There wasn’t a sound in the whole house. It was early, a little past seven in the morning on a Saturday. The alphas’ door was still closed tight. Taeyong stood outside with nerves turning in his stomach, trying to decide if he was really up for this. The answer was probably no. But today he wanted it. He wanted them so bad. So he took a deep breath and opened the door.

It was still dark in the alphas’ room. Their curtains kept out most of the sunrise, but it was light enough to see that no remake of the blanket tents had been attempted. Jaehyun and Johnny were still lumps and soft breathing on their beds. The smell of alpha hung thick in the air, warm and earthy, like sweat and sex and rotting lumber. Fresh bread, leather, and woodsmoke. Taeyong closed the door behind him. 

Now how to do this? Taeyong automatically headed for Jaehyun. He reassured himself that they had at least another eight hours or so on their ruts. It would be really awkward if they were finished already. Taeyong leaned against the edge of Jaehyun’s bed and reached out for him. He wrapped his hand around something that looked like a shoulder. 

“Jay,” he whispered. “Jaehyun?” He gave his arm a gentle shake. 

“Mmm,” Jaehyun took a big, sleepy breath and moaned deep in his chest. Taeyong shivered as he breathed “baby,” and rolled to face Teayong at the edge of the bed. His arms wrapped around Taeyong’s waist and dragged him up onto the bed on top of him. Taeyong gasped. His knee landed in a damp spot.

“Jaehyun—” He tried to sit up but Jaehyun dragged him down until their lips met. He was still feverishly hot, damp with sweat, and his cock was already big and hard under Taeyong’s hips. Taeyong did his best not to squish anything important, but his thighs started to shake right away as they held him up while spread wide over Jaehyun’s body. He felt his towel come loose. Jaehyun’s lips were soft and wet and they teased Taeyong’s open. Their tongues tangled together. Taeyong fought to drag his knees closed, but they kept slipping apart and his hips ached.

“Jay,” he whined as Jaehyun’s hand slid down to his butt. Taeyong grabbed for the towel and his remaining arm gave. He scrambled and ended up with his face stuffed into the pillow next to Jaehyun’s head. It didn’t smell great. “Christ, I washed this yesterday.”

“Whoa, g’morning…” Jaehyun hugged him around the waist and Taeyong’s knees slipped again.

“Morning, help.”

Easy as anything, Jaehyun turned them onto their sides, and then they were face to face. Taeyong’s eyes had adjusted a little. He could see Jaehyun’s handsome smile, complete with dimples, and his messy hair. His sweat damp skin and his soft eyes. “I thought I was dreaming,” he murmured, voice still rough with sleep, “because I was already dreaming about you.”

“Oh really? I had a dream about you too.”

Jaehyun pressed closer. “These days I dream about you every time I sleep.”

Taeyong fought the urge to roll his eyes and the urge to spread his legs at the same time.

“That’s why I’m hard,” Jaehyun added, and dragged their hips together. Taeyong let out a shaky sigh as Jaehyun’s knot dug into the crease of his hip, and the hard head of his cock pressed into his stomach, just under his ribs, a couple inches to the right of his belly button. Fuck, he was big. “You feeling up for it today, baby?”

Taeyong’s breath stuttered, and he nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Mmmm…” Jaehyun squeezed him even closer, hips flexing to press his cock harder into Taeyong’s stomach, but he froze when a low growl came from the other side of the room.

“Oh yeah, we gotta include Johnny.”

Jaehyun deflated. “Do we really though? Yo John go back to sleep for like thirty minutes.”

“Fuck no,” Johnny growled. “Why’d you go to him first?”

“You can be kinda scary when you wake up,” Taeyong wiggled to test Jaehyun’s hold, which was pretty darn snug.

“You said you had a dream about me, right?” Jaehyun rolled so he was a little on top of him. Taeyong moaned as Jaehyun pressed him down into the mattress, completely trapped. Jaehyun’s hips flexed down hard and trembled. “Johnny wasn’t there, was he?”

“Oh my god, you two.” He dropped his elbow and it landed in another wet spot. “Okay, nope nope nope. We’re changing the sheets first.”

Jaehyun groaned loudly and started sucking on Taeyong’s neck like that would convince him otherwise. “Can I just cum once first? I won’t even knot, just so I can function…”

“I don’t know, what do you think, Johnny? Should I let him?”

“Sure, just make him do it by himself. I kinda need one too…”

“How about both of you go do that in the shower and I’ll do the sheets.”

Johnny slid right out of bed. Jaehyun nibbled on Taeyong’s neck and grumbled for a minute until Taeyong pulled him away by the hair. Johnny dragged him the rest of the way off and there was lots of growling and a little scuffle, which ended with Johnny letting out a whimpery moan when Jaehyun’s hand landed on his waist and Jaehyun backing off quick. “Get clean!” Taeyong barked, and then got his towel tucked tight around his waist again and marched down the hallway to get a couple sets of their sheets, which were all folded up in their hampers in his bedroom.

This time when he tiptoed in, Yuta’s eyes cracked open. He squinted at Taeyong as he hauled one hamper into the hallway and came back for the other. “Where are you going with those?” He whispered, a smirk growing on his lips. Taeyong pursed his lips and squinted back. Yuta giggled and rolled over to face the wall. “Have fun,” he murmured.

Johnny was the first back into the room and caught Taeyong on his hands and knees on the bed as he tucked in the far corner of a fitted sheet over fresh mattress liners. “Feeling better today?” His hand landed right on Taeyong’s butt over the towel. Taeyong shivered.

“I woke up missing you guys.”

“I missed you too,” Johnny purred, and the hand slid around the inside of Taeyong’s thigh. He dropped a kiss onto his hip. “Since I’m done first, do I get to go first?”

Taeyong turned over and sat up. He looked back and forth between Jaehyun’s stripped bed and Johnny’s half made one. Two massive alphas and one him were not going to fit on either one of those beds, but he hated having to make one wait. “What if we put the mattresses on the floor?”

Johnny stood up straight and blinked at him. “The floor?”

“I was thinking… instead of making you guys watch from the other side of the room while I’m with the other, maybe we could do this more like a threesome? Unless you two aren’t cool with that…”

Johnny’s hand slid up Taeyong’s leg as he frowned across the room at Jaehyun’s bed. “I mean I’d rather just have you to myself.” His fingers skimmed fast down the inside of Taeyong’s thigh. Taeyong snapped his thighs closed just in time and trapped his hand there, so close to his balls they were almost touching. His thighs were so thin that it was hard to squeeze together very tight before his knees got in the way. Johnny could keep going if he wanted, but he was a good boy.

“Well, you can either have me to yourself half the time and let Jaehyun have me to himself the other half, or you can share the whole time.” Johnny’s fingers wiggled, and Taeyong clamped down harder. His thighs shook with the effort.

Johnny pursed his lips. His hand squeezed around the inside of Taeyong’s leg and dragged him closer. “It’s day three of rut with no sex,” he said, and his other hand wrapped around Taeyong’s back and pulled him right up against his chest. “We’re going to be kind of intense. Are you sure you can handle both of us at once?”

Taeyong remembered the third day with Yuta and wondered if he could really handle even one of that today, but he also remembered the night before he fainted, when he’d been between them, and nodded. “That’s what I want, but we don’t have to do that if you guys can’t be that close to each other.” He took a deep breath and finally let his thighs drift open.

“I think we can make it work,” Johnny whispered. His hand slid the rest of the way down and landed huge and hot on his balls, fingers stretching up to pet his dick. Taeyong gasped and clamped his thighs closed again. It felt so good. So did the way Johnny’s big arms held him upright, and the way Johnny’s tongue slipped into his open mouth and their lips slid together. Johnny’s fingertips teased under the head of his cock. His musky alpha scent was so strong, even after the shower. When Taeyong smoothed his hands up Johnny’s arms, he shivered all over and groaned. Taeyong’s big, strong alpha. All his.

His other big strong alpha slammed the door on his way in and growled. Taeyong smiled into the kiss when Johnny’s grip tightened and he growled back as Jaehyun stomped his way over. “Don’t just fucking start,” Jaehyun hissed, “that’s not fair, we need a plan.”

“We have one,” Johnny snapped back. He hugged Taeyong close to his chest and put his back to Jaehyun, who growled some more.

Taeyong tapped on Johnny’s shoulder. “Let me go a second please.”

With a huff, Johnny’s arms loosened up. Taeyong made sure his towel was secure before he crawled backwards on the bed, out of Johnny’s hold. “Jaehyun, do you wanna take turns or drag the mattresses onto the floor and have a threesome?”

Jaehyun stopped growling and blinked. He frowned at Johnny and then over at his bed. “Who would go first if we take turns?”

“Probably the person with sheets,’ said Johnny, and Taeyong gave him a light kick on the arm.

“Doesn’t matter, you’ll have to put on your headphones and let Johnny have a turn at some point.”

Jaehyun sighed. “I don’t have to, like, kiss him, do I?” He grimaced and gave Johnny a dubious once-over, which Johnny returned with equal disgust. Taeyong rolled his eyes.

“Nobody has to kiss anybody, but I definitely wouldn’t complain. So threesome?”

The alphas narrowed their eyes at each other. Johnny shrugged. Jaehyun pursed his lips and also shrugged. “Yeah that’s… probably out best option.” 

Taeyong grinned. “Let’s get these mattresses om the floor then.”

They got to work dragging the mattresses off the beds and lining them up. In the middle of the alphas arguing over pillow placement, the door popped open a crack and an arm shoved the green blanket through. Both alphas growled furiously as it dropped with a fwump. The arm vanished and the door clicked shut again.

“The fuck is he doing?” Jaehyun spat, and Johnny sat very quickly down on a mattress, taking long breaths and clutching the front of his towel.

“Was that Yuta?” Taeyong wandered over to retrieve the blanket.

Jaehyun huffed. “Yes.”

“Sweet of him.” He wrapped it around his shoulders and hummed. So soft and fuzzy. It definitely smelled like Yuta, and if he could smell it, there was no way it wouldn’t piss off the alphas. With the blanket wrapped around him, Taeyong finally let his towel fall to the floor. Both alphas’ froze.

“Is the bed ready?”

One of the mattresses was a little crooked. Johnny finished shoving it into place with a foot and nodded. “I’m in pretty bad shape, we should get started.” It was true, he didn’t look great. His jaw was set and there was a sheen of sweat across his pinched brow. He moved with an odd waddle that made it look like he was in pain.

“You’re not the only one,” Jaehyun growled.

Taeyong sighed as he flopped down on the mattresses, flat on his stomach. “You two seriously can’t fight the whole time.”

“Yeah, well,” the mattress dipped as Johnny crawled on behind him and sat beside his legs. “We’re two alphas in rut at once. It’s going to happen.” Hands slid up the backs of Taeyong’s calves, pushing the blanket up as they went, while Jaehyun dug around in a drawer under his bed. Taeyong shivered as Johnny’s warm fingers brushed over the backs of his knees.

“What if you two kiss whenever you growl at each other?” 

Johnny’s hands stopped halfway up his thighs.

“I thought you said we didn’t have to kiss.” Jaehyun set a box of condoms by the head of the bed. Taeyong looked over his shoulder and saw a huge tube of lube in his hands.

“You don’t have to, it’s just an option. I don’t mean on the lips, just whoever growls has to kiss the other somewhere.” Taeyong thought it was a good idea, but he also thought the alphas would hate it, but it was worth a shot.

“We’ll just try not to growl at each other.” Jaehyun plopped down next to Johnny and bounced a little. Taeyong felt his hand land on his butt over the blanket. Johnny growled. It cut off again pretty quick when Taeyong propped himself up on his elbows to raise an eyebrow at him. Johnny looked sheepish. “Sorry,” he muttered, and then leaned over and gave Jaehyun’s shoulder a tiny peck. Jaehyun jerked like he’d been shocked. His hand tightened on Taeyong’s ass.

“Jay, move your hand,” Johnny grumbled. Taeyong tried to decide if the feverish flush on his cheeks was darker than before.

The hand left with a sigh from Jaehyun, and Johnny’s palms swept the rest of the way up his thighs and over his bare ass, pushing the green blanket and Taeyong’s t-shirt up to his waist. Taeyong shivered again, but Johnny’s hands pet big and warm over his cheeks and Jaehyun’s hands were hot on his thigh. Taeyong bit his lip as Johnny’s thumbs slipped into his crack and spread him open. His face burned in the best way.

“Fuck,” Johnny gasped. For a second his fingers dug in so hard they hurt, but then he let go completely and whined. After a click of the lube bottle, Jaehyun’s hands replaced them. They spread him wide open again and he could feel himself clench. Johnny moaned.

“When was the last time you did this, babe?”

“Johnny the other day,” he gasped.

“And before that?”

Taeyong flushed further. “Yuta, a month and a half ago.”

Johnny growled a little. Jaehyun took a deep breath. “Okay. We’ll go slow and make sure you have time to get used to it.”

“I-I wouldn’t be too worried about it…” Jaehyun’s slick fingers touched against his hole, and Taeyong gasped as his legs turned to jelly, like he wouldn’t be able to tense up even if he tried.

Jaehyun pressed a finger gently against Taeyong’s hole. Taeyong could feel his rim flutter as Jaehyun applied the slightest pressure, and then his finger slipped right in. Both alphas groaned. Taeyong groaned too, but quieter. “Okay, that was good. Let’s try one more.” The second finger slid in just as easy. Taeyong’s cock jerked as he felt the pressure of just a little fullness. Jaehyun gave a shaky sigh as he pumped his fingers in and out. Taeyong’s cock began to fill.

Johnny’s hand slid up his thigh, and then a third finger pressed against his rim and sank in with Jaehyun’s. It went in just as easy. Jaehyun growled, but Johnny ignored him, and the growl stopped after a moment. It was followed by the sound of a little kiss. When Taeyong opened his eyes, Jaehyun was just pulling away from Johnny’s shoulder, blushing. Johnny pretended it hadn’t happened. “Shit, Yong, you’re so loose already. Is this an omega thing?”

“I-I think so…”

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes. “Haven’t you done butt stuff with omegas?”

“Yeah, female omegas who are loose in other places. You’re the expert, dude, are male and female omegas’ butts the same?” Johnny found Taeyong’s prostate and rubbed over it gently while Jaehyun kept thrusting. Taeyong could feel the way Johnny’s finger shook against his rim.

“I don’t know actually. I know male omegas produce slick in their butts, but I haven’t heard anything about, like, looseness. I kind of assumed suppressants would have erased any hormone that causes sphincter relaxing or anything like that. Female omega physiology wasn’t well studied until the past thirty years and we still have pretty much nothing on males—”

“Can we get the lecture later?” Johnny groaned, “My pain level just went from like a three to a five.”

“I don’t think he’s ready for a knot, dude.”

Taeyong almost mentioned that that’s what Yuta thought, but he kind of had to agree. With Yuta, he’d had like half an hour of foreplay and sex before they attempted the knot.

“Put your finger here,” Johnny murmured. “Feel that?” Gentle pressure radiated through Taeyong’s core as both alphas massaged over his prostate. He let out a little moan and spread his knees as wide as he could with both of them sitting on either side of his legs. 

“Yeah, I feel that. Is that good, Yong?” 

“Mmhm…” 

The pressure let up a little as one of the fingers slid out. “You ready, baby?” Johnny breathed. 

Taeyong shivered with anticipation. “I think so…”

“Can’t you just jerk off, dude?” Jaehyun growled and there was a smack and some scuffling.

“He said he was ready! I’m not even going to knot him. Just shaft.”

“I’ve seen that freak show you call a dick. I think we should get in a little foreplay before you try to shove that thing in.”

Johnny scoffed and pushed back. “You’re so fucking jealous, shut up. I’d love to do some foreplay but I’m in rut and my dick hurts.”

Taeyong propped his head up and watched them shove each other and growl over his shoulder. Johnny’s towel had come off. He was intimidatingly huge. Way bigger than Yuta for sure. Taeyong’s mouth watered. Finally they stilled, locked up with their hands on each other’s shoulders, growling, until Johnny’s growl fizzled off into a groan and a shudder. Jaehyun let go and backed up.

“I don’t know why’re you’re running away,” Taeyong drawled and stretched, angling his ass more into the air in a way he hoped was sexy. “You both owe each other a kiss.”

Both alphas blinked down at him. Johnny whimpered and grabbed for his dick.

Jaehyun took Johnny’s non-busy wrist and gave him a quick peck on the back of the hand with a wince of his own, and then offered his hand to Johnny who frowned and gave his knuckles a quick peck too.

That would do. With a sigh, Taeyong pulled the blanket off and sat up. “Johnny, lube up and lie down. Jaehyun, since he gets to get his dick wet first, you can knot me when he’s done.” He cheeks flamed just saying that. Hopefully the alphas wouldn’t notice.

Johnny did as he was told and laid down on his back with the lube bottle. Taeyong crawled over him as he slicked himself up with his lower lip caught between his teeth. He was so big. Taeyong wondered if he really was too big. Maybe Taeyong really wasn’t ready. With that thought, he dropped to his hands and knees over Johnny with his already protesting thighs spread wide over his hips. The thick head of Johnny’s cock slid along the crease of his hip and came to rest between his ass cheeks. Taeyong shivered. Below him, Johnny gazed up with dark, intense eyes and flushed cheeks. 

“Ready?”

“I hope so,” he breathed back, and shifted forward until the tip of Johnny’s cock lined up right against his rim. Johnny held it steady, Jaehyun got a grip on Taeyong’s hips, but it was Taeyong who eased back and let his hole open up, wider and wider, to take Johnny inside. Johnny let out a loud, broken whine as soon as Taeyong’s rim began to spread over his head. His eyes slammed closed and he bit his lip and gasped in breaths. Taeyong went slow, pausing with each breath to relax and make sure the intense pressure wasn’t pain, and that he could still take more, even though he already couldn’t believe how wide his rim had opened up. It was almost too much knowing that Jaehyun was watching his body take Johnny in like this. He groaned deep in his throat as he speared himself open.

“Fuck,” said Jaehyun behind him. “That’s gotta be an omega thing.” 

Taeyong’s whole face burned. He felt so dirty already with just the head inside. Beneath him Johnny panted out frantic little groans. His arms and chest flexed as he gripped the sheets. “O-oh my god, baby you’re so tight.”

“You’re really big,” Taeyong whimpered back, breathless.

Jaehyun’s hands tightened on his hips. “Does it hurt?”

Taeyong assessed again. “…No. S’just…” he gasped and focused on not clenching up. “…really intense.”

Below him Johnny’s chest heaved. His face screwed up and he moaned. His hands latched onto Taeyong’s thighs so tight that Taeyong could relax and let Johnny hold him up. One of his feet kicked anxiously against the bed.

“Johnny, chill,” Jaehyun growled.

Johnny’s eyes flew open with a furious glare that made Taeyong’s dick tingle a little bit. “Dude shut the fuck up. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to not move right now?”

“God, I want you two to make out so bad.” 

Both alphas froze. Johnny looked sheepish until Taeyong took the opportunity to ease himself slowly down on Johnny’s cock. Then he looked out of his mind. His handsome face twisted with pleasure, eyes flew wide and jaw dropped open. He let out a breathy, high pitched whine and writhed, arms and legs scrambling on the blankets. The way his back arched threw his gorgeously sculpted chest into sensuous relief. Taeyong slid a hand over all his flexing abs with a groan. 

“Johnny, you look so good,” he whispered.

“hnnghh…”

Jaehyun pressed up against his back and wrapped an arm around Taeyong’s chest with his fingers fisted in Taeyong’s t-shirt. His knot pressed against the base of Taeyong’s spine. Johnny’s eyes rolled back and fluttered shut. Taeyong sank down a little further. The angle got difficult, but as soon as Taeyong’s thighs started shaking as they tried to keep him from sinking down further, Jaehyun tightened up and took all of Taeyong’s weight. Taeyong relaxed. “Okay,” he breathed. Jaehyun lowered him down. 

Taeyong closed his eyes and tipped his head back against Jaehyun’s shoulder. The pressure was so intense. Taeyong couldn’t think about anything else, just the way Johnny’s cock filled him up so completely, and every time he thought he couldn’t possibly take more, it kept building. It didn’t hurt. The ache of fullness was hot and delicious, even though it felt one wrong move away from pain. Taeyong clung to Jaehyun’s arms and focused on deep breaths and staying loose and open for the long, long expanse of Johnny’s shaft. 

And then the shaft ended. Taeyong’s rim settled on something flaring out at the base of Johnny’s cock. It was burning hot and hard. Johnny’s knot. The room spun. Taeyong’s jaw dropped open as he trembled all over. Heat flooded up his neck, all his muscles from the waist down went limp and useless, and goosebumps broke out over his skin. Sometimes when Taeyong remembered his night with Yuta, he focused on this moment, when Yuta’s knot first pressed up against his hole, and wondered if his memory was playing tricks on him. It couldn’t possibly have felt like that. But here it was, and it did feel like that, but if anything, Taeyong’s memory had been playing it down. The intensity of the way Johnny’s cock filled him up was nothing compared to the way every nerve in Taeyong’s body lit up and begged for Johnny’s knot. 

“Taeyong are you okay?” Jaehyun lifted him away from Johnny’s knot and Taeyong realized how much he was whimpering. All kinds of high, needy whines squeaked out of his throat on every panted breath. He thrashed as Johnny’s cock began to slide out of him, trying to get it back.

“M’good,” he panted, and let out a long, frantic keen as the pressure in his core lessened. Below him Johnny whimpered too and clung to Taeyong’s hips, trying to pull him back down. “Jay I’m good I’m good please back down, p-please, I need…” He moaned with relief as Jaehyun let him sink back down. 

“Fuck,” Johnny breathed. His fingers dug hard into Taeyong’s thighs. Taeyong remembered to look back down at him. He was just as gone as Taeyong. They were wrestling with the same set of instincts. Johnny’s body wanted to shove in and Taeyong’s body wanted to take it. If his hole had felt relaxed before, it felt like elastic now, like it could take anything. Or at least it did until he sank down a little further. He let his full body weight press down against Johnny’s knot. It began to spread wider. At first it was okay, but then it felt wrong, like a stretch, turning too quickly to sharp pain. Taeyong squeaked and grabbed for Jaehyun’s arm. He lifted. The pain ebbed. 

“O-okay…” he whimpered, “not ready…”

“Did you try?” Jaehyun asked, alarmed.

“You can’t see his face, Jay.” Johnny panted out, jaw clenched and eyelashes fluttering. “How the fuck did Yuta not figure out that you’re an omega? It’s obvious.”

“Oh.” Jaehyun shifted behind him to sit back on his heels and tucked his knees under Taeyong’s thighs. Taeyong sat down on them. “Was all that because you felt his knot?”

Taeyong shuddered and nodded.

“Wow, yeah, that is pretty obvious. I thought the suppressants would prevent that kind of instinct response.”

Taeyong shook his head. “It was the s-same with Yuta,” he panted.

“Can we focus?” Johnny squeaked. His back arched again as his hips tried to twitch up into Taeyong’s body, but Jaehyun was sitting on his thighs now and he couldn’t go anywhere. 

“In his defense, he was a little too focused on resisting his own instinct responses to notice mine.” With a full-body shiver of pleasure, Taeyong’s hole abruptly contracted around Johnny’s cock and made them both gasp. Johnny flattened his hand across Taeyong’s stomach over his t-shirt like he was trying to grab his own dick from the outside and clenched his teeth with a whine.

“Still, that’s like, textbook omega response.” Jaehyun continued, also panting, but he sounded very relaxed next to Johnny’s frantic noises. “Omegas always respond that way and betas don’t. Even if he wasn’t paying attention—”

“Does Yuta know?” Johnny asked.

The weight of the last few days crushed down on Taeyong’s shoulders and he felt himself tense up. He whimpered, “not as far as I know.”

“You’re lying,” Johnny hissed. Jaehyun’s snarled and sat up, taking Taeyong with him. He lifted off Johnny’s cock until only the head was inside, and would have kept going if Johnny hadn’t grabbed Taeyong’s hips and held him in place. Jaehyun’s thighs versus Johnny’s arms with Taeyong trapped in the middle. He let out a shaky moan as Johnny’s hands crushed into his hips and both alphas growled.

Jaehyun’s voice rumbled like thunder against his back. “Don’t talk to him like that.”

“Fuck you.” Johnny’s hips, now free, thrust up and plunged his cock into Taeyong’s body. Taeyong’s head snapped back with a shout. God, that felt so good. Taeyong wanted more so bad his head spun.

“Stop!” Jaehyun yanked Taeyong free of Johnny’s grip and dragged him backwards. Johnny’s cock slid all the way out. Taeyong wailed at the loss and fought Jaehyun’s grip, but Jaehyun wrestled him into the blankets and lay on top of him. Taeyong couldn’t move. “You are not fucking him while you’re angry!” Jaehyun roared over the sound of Johnny’s furious growling. “Calm the fuck down!”

The sounds of another scuffle ensued. Jaehyun got dragged off Taeyong’s back. Now that the dick was gone, Taeyong’s head slowly cleared until he was just embarrassed for being so desperate and annoyed about the squabbling. As the two alphas snarled and wrestled behind him, he crawled over to his green blanket and curled up with it until Jaehyun had Johnny pinned on his front with both arms trapped behind his back. Jaehyun was still growling, but Johnny looked half freaked out and half turned on with his eyes closed and deep groans pouring from his mouth.

“Dude, get off,” he moaned.

“Not until you apologize to Taeyong for calling him a liar.”

“He kind of is though!”

“No he isn’t!”

“He lies all the fucking time dude you should really get off.” He turned so his face was buried in the blankets. “Did not sign up to naked wrestle you.”

Jaehyun let go. “He does not!”

“I kinda do,” Taeyong grumbled, Jaehyun blinked at him in shock.

“You do?” He looked so sad. Taeyong hugged his blanket a little tighter.

“Yeah, like, ‘it’s just insomnia,’ ‘I’m fine,’ ‘I’m just shaking because I’ve had too much coffee.’” 

“Yuta doesn’t know,” Johnny added with air quotes. 

Taeyong huffed. “Fine. Yuta knows. But that’s none of your business.”

Now they both looked sad. Johnny put his face back in the sheets. “Fair,” he muttered.

“We talked out our incident a couple days ago and he told me he figured it out.” Taeyong sighed as both alphas sulked. “Is this going to be a problem? Are we good?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Anything else we need to get out of the way?”

The alphas glanced at each other. Jaehyun took a deep breath and looked down at the mattress. “A-are you and Yuta, like, a thing?” He glanced up from under his eyelashes and back down.

“No.”

Jaehyun nodded, still pouting, and then looked at Johnny. “Is he lying?”

“I don’t know, my dick’s not in him anymore, thanks to somebody.” He glared.

“Wait, why do you need your dick in to tell?”

“He, like, clenched…” Johnny did a weird motion with his fist and Jaehyun just wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

“Never mind.”

Taeyong hugged the blanket against his chest and looked between his sulky alphas. “Listen guys, things are rough right now. If I lie about something, can you just assume it’s for a good reason? Can you trust me that much?”

Both alphas blinked up at him all wide eyed. “I trust you,” Jaehyun said immediately.

Taeyong frowned at him. “You just asked Johnny if I was lying.”

“S-sorry.”

“He’s just emotional on his cycle,” said Johnny, “which can make him irrational.”

Jaehyun sulked. “Unlike Johnny who is emotional and irrational all the time.”

Johnny kicked him, “I’m trying to defend you, don’t be a dick.”

“I didn’t feel very defended.”

Maybe it had been too much to hope that all three of them could have made this work. Taeyong started to consider moving the mattresses back to the beds and doing things separately after all, but he already couldn’t imagine trying to take Johnny’s dick again without Jaehyun there to hold him up. He dragged the blanket over his body and curled up. Yesterday’s dark cloud loomed at the edges of his mind, threatening to ruin everything again if the alphas didn’t ruin things first.

On the other side of the mattress the alphas stopped bickering to have a quick, quiet conversation under their breaths that Taeyong didn’t bother to listen in on, but a wet kiss noise got his attention. Johnny pulled away from Jaehyun’s cheek and turned his head so Jaehyun could drop a little kiss onto his cheek too, and then they both crawled over to Taeyong, blushing.

“Okay we’re done fighting.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Jaehyun bundled Taeyong up, green blanket and all, and lifted him into his lap. “Still wanna be on top?”

“Maybe just to start.” He tipped his face back so Jaehyun would kiss him, and he did, all soft and indulgent.

“Hate to rush you guys but I’m still in pain,” Johnny groaned, lying on his back again. Jaehyun gave Taeyong one last lingering kiss and then set him back down so Taeyong could toss the green blanket aside and crawl over Johnny’s hips.

“More lube?” Jaehyun offered from behind him, and Taeyong said “yes please,” and Johnny said “ohfuckitscold.” Taeyong leaned down and kissed a frantic little squeak off Johnny’s lips. “Hnng he just poured it all over my leg,” Johnny whined.

Jaehyun’s deep giggle came from behind them as the lube bottle snapped shut. “Oh sorry, did you want me to spread it on your dick for you?”

“No…” Johnny reached between Taeyong’s legs to presumably do the spreading. He wrapped his other hand around the back of Taeyong’s neck to deepen the kiss, but he was clearly pretty distracted. His lips kept going slack around little gasps, especially when he got the slightly cold head of his cock pressed up against Taeyong’s hole again. Taeyong took a deep breath and sank back.

It felt the same as last time. Intense pressure and the heady feeling of being pushed wide open. Jaehyun held onto his hips. Johnny’s fingers clawed at the back of his neck. Taeyong gave up on kissing. He pressed his temple against Johnny’s cheek and braced both arms against his chest so he could feel the way he gasped and moaned. 

“Fuck, f-fuck baby… oh--!” Johnny arched and writhed underneath him. Jaehyun must have been sitting on his thighs again, because his hips stayed still. This time it was easier to ease back and let Johnny fill him up. It slowly got more and more overwhelming until he was gasping for breath too. His butt hit Jaehyun’s thighs before it got to Johnny’s knot, which was probably for the best, but he was still a little disappointed. For a few moments he rested there, enjoying the delicious pressure of being so full, Johnny’s trembling hand on his neck, and the heat of Jaehyun’s lap. He let his hands wander up Johnny’s gorgeous body and flicked a thumb over his nipple. Johnny’s chest flexed up into his hand. 

“You take him so well,” Jaehyun said in a deep purr. He cupped Taeyong’s ass cheeks and squeezed whatever he managed to find there. Taeyong appreciated the effort. He let the pressure of Jaehyun’s hands push him back off Johnny’s cock, and then eased back on when Jaehyun pulled gently on his hips. He hoped that was enough of an invitation.

Jaehyun got the idea. He got a firmer grip on Taeyong’s ass and moved him. Taeyong didn’t have to do any work at all. Jaehyun was slow and careful, and all Taeyong had to do was stay limp and let Jaehyun slide him on and off Johnny’s cock. The way Johnny filled him over and over again felt intoxicating. Taeyong was fully hard, already leaking onto Johnny’s abs.

“Come here, baby,” Jaehyun breathed, and hauled Taeyong up off Johnny’s chest. Johnny’s hand slid out of Taeyong’s hair and both landed on his thighs, one lube-sticky and one dry. Jaehyun pulled him upright against his chest and tipped his face so he could kiss him, but the new angle let him sink down just a little further, and Johnny’s knot pressed up against his hole again.

Taeyong’s eyes rolled back as his whole body lit up. Some kind of loud pathetic whimper left his mouth, clashing with a series of deep groans from Johnny as his hands clamped down on Taeyong’s thighs. Jaehyun purred sweet nothings and sucked on Taeyong’s slack lips. His hands skimmed up his sides and lifted his shirt with. Taeyong raised his arms when Jaehyun pushed them up. The soft cotton of his t-shirt pulled over his face, and then he was finally naked between his two alphas again.

“Oh…” Johnny’s fingers pressed into his waist. “Taeyong,” he murmured. Taeyong looked down. It took a second to figure out how to focus his eyes through the hair-raising need coursing in his veins. When he managed it, Johnny pouted up at him with wide eyes and pinched brows. His sat up and ran his fingertips over the outlines of Taeyong’s ribs.

Taeyong had forgotten that they’d never seen him shirtless in the daylight before. He almost asked for his shirt back. His face was already burning, but it just got warmer with a strange mix of embarrassment and arousal.

“Jesus, you’re skin and bones.”

Below him, Johnny’s abs rippled. Jaehyun’s arms lined up with his, almost double their width. Taeyong suddenly felt small in an inadequate, self-conscious way instead of a sexy, overwhelmed way. His shoulders curled in.

“I-I kinda have a hard time getting calories—” he broke off with a gasp as his hole clenched hard around Johnny’s cock. Johnny dropped back onto his back, gasping.

“You’re beautiful, Taeyong,” Jaehyun whispered. His sucked sloppy wet kisses into Taeyong’s neck. His hands slid along Taeyong’s arms where he had them held protectively over his chest and laced their fingers together.

“I’m alarmingly underweight is what I am.”

“Yeah, well…” Jaehyun gave him a big kiss on his bony shoulder. “I think we all wish you were healthier but you’re still, like, stupidly attractive.”

Taeyong squeezed his fingers and felt a little better. “Can I borrow some of your muscles, Johnny?”

Johnny laughed breathlessly and flexed up against Jaehyun’s weight. The swell of his knot shifted against Taeyong’s rim and they both gasped. Taeyong’s skin prickled all over and his hole throbbed.

“Which ones?” Johnny groaned, half smirking, half grimacing.

“J-just one thigh,” Taeyong gasped when a desperate little shock of pleasure rippled through his hips. “And the tiddies.”

Jaehyun snorted. “Okay that would look pretty weird. Yo, can I have a hand back a second? I really need to grab my dick.”

“Sure.” Taeyong released his right hand. Jaehyun did whatever he needed to do and moaned. Below him Johnny moaned too, but because Taeyong had tentatively squeezed his ass around his dick. That felt pretty fucking awesome. He did it again just to watch Johnny’s back arch. “Do you ever fondle your own tits?” He asked.

Johnny said “huh??” and blinked rapidly. “Uh… Jaehyun’s the one with the tits.” 

“Ay good point.” He tipped his head back and nuzzled under Jaehyun’s jaw. “Same question, Jay.”

“Uh…” Jaehyun let out a little laugh and dropped a quick kiss on Taeyong’s lips before he answered. “I’ve felt myself up while masturbate before, but I’ve never just sat there and grabbed my pecs, no.” He had an adorable blush on. Taeyong reached up and touched the soft pink squish of his cheeks and guided him closer for languid, indulgent kisses.

“You should try it.”

“Okay.” He chuckled softly. “Johnny can you please fucking cum already? Now I’m in pain.”

“How do you expect me to cum when nobody is fuckin moving?” Johnny squirmed around, jostling both of them with his powerful thighs like he wanted to do some thrusting. Taeyong decided he was ready.

“I don’t need to be on top anymore.”

Johnny surged up like a lunging animal and toppled both Jaehyun and Taeyong onto their backs. Jaehyun shrieked. Taeyong yelped as he landed with a thump on Jaehyun’s chest, and it was a good thing Jaehyun had been grabbing his junk, because he just barely managed to use that wrist to hold most of Taeyong’s weight from falling on his balls. 

“Johnny what the fuck!” Jaehyun snarled, but he was drowned out by Taeyong’s shout as Johnny dragged his hips back and snapped them hard into Taeyong’s body. Pleasure punched through him. Johnny’s knot slammed against his rim and Taeyong scrambled to cling to Johnny’s back and cried out with every thrust. Beneath him Jaehyun grunted loudly as he continued to hold Taeyong’s hips off his balls with both hands.

Jungwoo’s door slammed and his footsteps pounded frantically down the stairs. Yikes. Oh well. Taeyong had other shit to worry about. Like wrapping his thighs tight enough around Johnny’s waist to take some weight off Jaehyun but still loose enough that Johnny could easily slam all seven or so thick inches of shaft into his body fast enough to make Taeyong scream.

“Jesus, John, could you slow the fuck down?” Jaehyun shouted. Johnny growled and sped up. Taeyong wailed.

“S’f—ffine—AH! Nnng!” Taeyong could feel every thrust send waves of pleasure all the way down the backs of his thighs and up into his shoulders. Johnny sucked hard on one side of his neck, Jaehyun panted against his opposite cheek. That deep, rich alpha smell overwhelmed his senses, and Johnny’s cock punching in and out of him was so intense that everywhere else on his body almost felt numb. 

Johnny slammed deep and stayed, grinding his knot against Taeyong’s rim. His rim tried to relax. Taeyong’s thighs trembled around Johnny’s hips as all his pelvic muscles went loose. His knot pressed him open wide. Wider than last time. Taeyong’s skin prickled with need as he braced himself for it to go in, but then the stretch came back, and the pain, and he whimpered frantically and clawed at Johnny’s shoulders.

“C-can’t, ow ow ow!”

Johnny yanked back and whispered “sorry, sorry.” He gave Taeyong another half dozen bone rattling thrusts that had Taeyong moaning like a whore before he came with a deep, loud groan with the sexiest hint of growl. Taeyong whined as his cock pulsed rhythmically in his hole.

Right outside the door, in front of the bathroom, Donghyuck yelled, “Jesus fucking christ!”

“Get off,” Jaehyun growled, and Johnny jolted like Jaehyun had found a way to knee him in the ass. His arms had begun to shake from holding Taeyong up. Johnny growled back, a little more sluggishly. His cock wasn’t finished pulsing. Taeyong clenched around him, trying milk the last of his orgasm out. It went on for longer than Taeyong expected, and Johnny didn’t soften at all before he pulled out with another groan. His mouth brushed along Taeyong’s cheek until their lips slid together. Taeyong gasped as Johnny’s abs pressed down against his throbbing, leaking cock. He squeezed his shaking legs tighter so he could get some friction. 

“Johnny get the fuck off before I drop him.”

“Huh?”

Jaehyun kneed him again. Johnny growled, but he finally sat back, lifting Taeyong with him, and Jaehyun let out a long sigh.

“How was that, baby?” Johnny resumed their kiss before Taeyong could answer, so Taeyong tried to answer by kissing Johnny as hot and deep as he could. Johnny was still rock hard. The slick shaft of his cock bumped up against Taeyong’s butt as he continued to grind against Johnny’s abs. It was difficult to do when his only leverage was his legs wrapped around Johnny’s waist. Jaehyun probably had a pretty good view of Johnny’s cum dribbled graphically out of his loose hole. Taeyong wondered if he was watching. His cheeks burned and his cock throbbed.

“Fuck, we forgot the condoms.”

“I got tested after Yuta,” Taeyong mumbled into Johnny’s mouth, and moaned as he found a particularly nice crease in Johnny’s abs to rut his cock into. “I’m clean… mmmm…”

“Okay.” Jaehyun’s hands landed on Taeyong’s hips and he kissed the top of his spine. “We got tested a few days ago. We’re clean too.”

“Aw you guys went and did that together?” Having all four of their hands and both of their mouths on him had Taeyong voice sounding a little shaky.

Jaehyun’s hip must have bumped up against Johnny’s cock, because both of them gasped and jerked, and Johnny’s dick squished a little tighter against one side of Taeyong’s butt as Jaehyun’s bumped against the other, but he pulled back quick. 

“I mean, we knew this was coming, so…” Jaehyun took a shaky breath. “Still, do you want us to start wrapping it up?”

Another thick glob of cum drippled out of his hole and slid slippery and hot down his taint towards his balls. He shuddered all over, cheeks burning. “Please don’t,” he breathed.

Jaehyun tucked his forehead against Taeyong’s back and caught the stray dribble, only to push it back up into Taeyong’s hole. His fingers fucked purposefully in with graphic slick noises that made Taeyong’s whine into Johnny’s mouth. “Can it please be my turn?” Jaehyun groaned. “I’m seriously in pain now.”

Johnny growled. Jaehyun growled. Taeyong stopped kissing and tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling until Jaehyun leaned over his shoulder and kissed Johnny on the cheek again, and Johnny gave him a peck on the forehead.

“Yes, it can be your turn.” Taeyong said. 

Both dicks pressed into Taeyong’s butt cheeks again and Jaehyun pulled away with a flinch. “Bro get your dick out of the way.” Taeyong didn’t have time to suggest changing positions before Johnny lifted him up and tried to move him to the other side of his cock by awkwardly sucking in his tummy. Taeyong unwrapped his legs a little and tried to help, but the slick tip just left a sticky trail over the back of his thigh.

Jaehyun sighed and said. “K I’m just gonna…” The dick abruptly slid along the inside of his thigh with a sharp gasp and a hard flinch from Johnny. It came to rest against Taeyong’s balls on the Johnny side of Taeyong’s body. Johnny huffed and lowered Taeyong back down, right onto the tip of Jaehyun’s dick. 

“O-oh!”

He plunged up into Taeyong with a heavy, wet slide. Taeyong wrapped his arms around Johnny’s neck and clung with his face tucked into Johnny’s shoulder. Jaehyun’s forehead collided with the back of Taeyong’s neck with a frantic moan. His hands pawed at Taeyong’s waist, shaking with tension. “Sh-shit,” he breathed, and his hips jerked back and thrust up again. Taeyong cried out. Jaehyun wasn’t quite as big as Johnny, but he was still huge. Big enough to make Taeyong feel completely overwhelmed by the fullness and the pressure, just not quite as intense. Maybe he was just really open now. In any case it felt incredible, like a perfect fit. 

Jaehyun gave him a few more hard, rough thrusts that forced whines from Taeyong’s throat and helpless little mewls from Jaehyun’s. His hands slid up and down Taeyong’s sides, trying to find a way to hold him closer, but Johnny had Taeyong clutched too tight to his chest to make space for Jaehyun’s arms and wouldn’t let go.

“Johnny, let Jay—ohh!” Taeyong couldn’t finish because Jaehyun finally managed get his knot pressed up against Taeyong’s rim, and Taeyong completely lost his train of thought. His legs dropped loose around Johnny’s hips as all his muscles gave out again. His whole lower body went lax, waiting for Jaehyun’s knot, which trembled against his hole.

“You good, baby?” Johnny breathed and hauled him even closer. His cock dug into Taeyong’s stomach. Taeyong could feel it jerk when Jaehyun’s thrusts rocked them together.

“So good,” he whimpered.

Jaehyun ground up against him. His hands left Taeyong’s waist, but his chest flattened against his back and all three of them got squished tighter together. Both their bodies completely surrounded his like a really snug Taeyong sandwich, but Jaehyun’s cock slid out a little. No more knot.

“Dude!” Johnny squeaked, “don’t grab me—puh! You’re hair is in my mouth!”

“I wouldn’t have to if you let me hold him,” Jaehyun growled. The sandwich got snugger. Taeyong could tell by the way Jaehyun’s shoulders flexed behind his that Jaehyun had opted to grab Johnny’s waist instead. Tucking his face in Taeyong’s neck meant shoving Johnny’s face out of the way. The hips didn’t fit right. Jaehyun whined and thrust up into him but he couldn’t get in as far as he had been. Johnny said “ow!” when he tried. Something about knees and thighs clashing.

“Could you sit up?” Jaehyun hissed.

Johnny huffed. “Could you ask nicely?”

“Could you fucking cooperate instead of being a dickwad?”

Taeyong hummed happily when Jaehyun’s cock rubbed right against his prostate, and then let out an annoyed grunt when it moved. He took a couple more shallow thrusts before both alphas froze and growled at each other. Taeyong reluctantly lifted his face up out of Johnny’s shoulder to look at them baring their teeth and snarling.

“Oh for fucks sake you guys, we’re having a threesome.”

The growling petered out. Both alphas glanced at him, then looked back at each other. Jaehyun took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. “Look, dude, I just held Taeyong off my nuts for like five minutes so you could get the angle you wanted. Can you help me out?” He looked back down so he could stare Johnny in the eye from inches away. Taeyong watched. Johnny took a deep breath, arms squeezing tight around Taeyong’s waist.

“Fine, fine,” he sighed, and sat up off his heels so he was kneeling instead, holding Taeyong’s full weight against his chest. Taeyong wrapped his thighs a little tighter to help out, but they already ached trying to stay locked around Johnny’s hips. They wouldn’t hold up for long, especially not when Jaehyun got started again.

Taeyong groaned as Jaehyun lined up and pushed back in. He started thrusting right away, but this time his knot made it to Taeyong’s hole with every thrust. Little shivers of shock and need raced through every nerve in Taeyong’s body. His legs dangled uselessly around Johnny’s waist.

“Fuck,” Taeyong whined as his passage clenched and his hole fluttered.

“Dang you got a tight grip, dude,” Johnny said right in Taeyong’s ear, and he probably didn’t mean Taeyong, because Taeyong was almost completely limp. The hold he had around Johnny’s neck couldn’t have restrained a flighty teddy bear.

Jaehyun’s lips brushed against the top of Taeyong’s shoulder and Johnny growled as he had to lean back to avoid his hair, but swallowed to cut himself off and gave Jaehyun a little kiss on the head. Taeyong felt Jaehyun smile. “Johnny went pretty hard with you when it was his turn,” he gasped out between his thrusts, “was that okay?”

“Uh-huh… h-hard is good,”

“Really?—hhhShit,” he breathed, and his next thrusts were faster. His knot didn’t just bump up against his Taeyong’s hole. It slammed. Taeyong’s panting gave way to low moans. Jaehyun crushed the three of them together and groaned deep in Taeyong’s ear in his gorgeous, soft baritone. His cock rammed in over and over, filling Taeyong with delicious fullness, sliding over his rim. Taeyong’s arms shook where they clung to Johnny. He let them go limp, but his alphas were so strong. They held him secure between them. Jaehyun’s cock pounded into his body, and every time Taeyong rocked with the force of Jaehyun’s thrusts, Johnny’s cock twitched against his stomach. Taeyong felt so loose. So loose that the fullness wasn’t as intense anymore. He wanted it to be intense again. He wanted Jaehyun’s knot.

“Please,” he whimpered before he could stop himself. His skin prickled with embarrassment.

Jaehyun’s hips stuttered. “Did you just—”

“He did,” Johnny whined. 

Jaehyun latched his mouth onto Taeyong’s shoulder. “Fuck, baby,” he breathed, and picked up his tempo, thrusts a little harder than before. He sucked on Taeyong’s skin and moaned like he loved the taste. “You’re so gorgeous, god, Yong.”

“Say it again,” Johnny growled from somewhere over Jaehyun’s head. His fingers dug into Taeyong’s skin. “Baby, say it again.”

Taeyong’s cheeks burned, but he loved the way Jaehyun’s breath stuttered when Taeyong let out a high, needy whine. He tipped his head back against Jaehyun’s shoulder, baring his throat, and focused on how bad his body ached for Jaehyun’s knot.

“Please,” he breathed.

Johnny’s cock jerked against Taeyong’s lower stomach as Jaehyun’s knot slammed to a stop and trembled right up against Taeyong’s rim, sending wave after wave of need. It was so close, teasing him, promising him deep, satisfying fullness. God it would feel so good, so fucking good, and it was right there. Taeyong’s passage throbbed with need. “Please,” he whimpered, “please, Jay, pleasepleaseplease…oh…” His voice broke off into moans as Jaehyun slammed up into him with rough, powerful thrusts that Taeyong felt all the way to his toes, down the backs of his arms. Every few thrusts, Jaehyun stopped to grind his knot up against Taeyong’s ass.

Johnny groaned as Jaehyun pounded into Taeyong,. “Nice stroke game, Jay,” he grunted.

“O-oh,” Jaehyun’s rhythm stuttered a little bit. “Thanks, man,” he gasped.

Taeyong tried to arch back, but the alphas had him trapped. His legs dangled wide and limp around Johnny’s thighs. It made his hips ache and reminded him how helpless he was, how pitiful that he couldn’t lift his leg back around Johnny’s hip if he tried. But god was it hot, to be naked and completely at their mercy, like a doll. “C’mon, put it—oh…please…”

With a lovely deep groan, Jaehyun’s mouth slid hot and wet down Taeyong’s throat. His sharp canines scraped against his skin. Johnny’s cock twitched hard again.

“Fuck, Taeyong,” Johnny gasped, hips flexing into Taeyong’s stomach, “you’re so sexy right now, you have no idea.” His own cock rubbed against Johnny’s abs too, and it felt so fucking good, but it could feel better.

“P…hhh, Ah! Ah, ah… Pl-please—oh… Jay…” They probably needed more lube, but right now the friction was at a sweet spot of hot and intense, not yet too much. “Please…” Why wouldn’t he just do it? Taeyong let out a long, broken whine and fisted his shaking hand in Johnny’s hair.

“Baby, what is it?” Johnny breathed as his knot dug painfully between Taeyong’s hips. Jaehyun slowed down and ground his knot right up against Taeyong’s hole again, right there, so close. Taeyong whimpered as his entire lower body throbbed, he shuddered all over, waiting for it, the need so overwhelming that it left him gasping and whimpering, squirming down to try and get it inside, but Jaehyun just sat there sucking gently at his pulse point like he was waiting for something. It almost hurt Taeyong needed it so bad.

“Fuck,” he sobbed, “knot me, Jaehyun please knot me—AH!”

With a furious growl, Jaehyun pivoted on one knee and threw them down onto the mattress. Johnny landed on his back with a shout, Taeyong still clutched to his chest. Jaehyun’s cock slipped out, but Taeyong didn’t have time to complain when he saw his pale hand grab the lube from the sheets out of the corner of his eye.

“Holy shit, Jay,” Johnny squeaked.

Jaehyun muttered a quick ‘sorry,’ as he flung himself over Taeyong’s back on his hands and knees. He took a second to lean down a drop some kind of apology kiss on Johnny’s cheek, but missed. It landed right on the corner of Johnny’s mouth. The way Johnny’s cock jerked under Taeyong’s stomach when he gasped was enough to get Taeyong’s attention off his empty hole for a second. 

“I-I’m not mad, dude, I was actually just impressed,” Johnny grumbled. The lube bottle clicked open.

“Oh,” Jaehyun said, winded, “thanks.”

While Jaehyun was busy lubing up, Taeyong struggled to get his hands and knees back under him. Johnny loosened his python-like grip on Taeyong’s waist so he could push himself upright, which was a good move, because that meant Taeyong got to lean up to Johnny’s mouth for kisses. Cool air hit the big wet spots that his and Johnny’s cocks had left on his stomach and made him shiver.

“Baby,” Johnny breathed into Taeyong’s mouth. His hand curled around the back of his neck, thumb sweeping through the short hair at the base of his skull. His other hand slid down Taeyong’s spine to cup his ass. Their tongues tangled.

Jaehyun’s hands landed on his hips and he pushed back in with a powerful thrust. Taeyong let out a deep, loud moan into Johnny’s mouth and Jaehyun growled “Fffuck.” Just outside the door, Jisung’s little voice said “w-whoa,” and there was a squeaky “oh may gahd!!” from Mark. Two sets of feet rushed down the stairs at top speed.

Neither alpha seemed to notice them at all. Jaehyun pulled back and gave Taeyong a couple dozen more deep, hard thrusts. Their new position meant that Jaehyun could use the full strength in his abs and thighs. All that alpha power unloaded into Taeyong’s body and left him reeling. When he was done, he pressed his knot right up against his rim, all slick, hard, and big, and Taeyong was so ready. He arched his back and keened as goosebumps broke out over his skin. Finally he tucked his knot right up against Taeyong’s hole, braced to push in. Taeyong gripped Johnny and held his breath, so ready.

Johnny moved his hand to Jaehyun’s waist and stopped him. “I love when you beg,” he grabbed Taeyong’s hair and lifted his head up out of his shoulder. “Maybe I want to hear more of it.”

“uh?”

Johnny pulled Taeyong’s head up enough that Taeyong could see his face, which was flushed and sweaty, but his eyes were sharp and dark, lips wet. “Beg for his knot, baby.”

Taeyong’s gut twisted. His face flamed. He felt so dirty and weak, trembling as he tried to hold himself up between these two big, strong alphas, with his ass full of cock and precum smeared across his torso, and Johnny wanted to hear him beg for them like a whore. Like a slutty omega desperate for alpha knot.

Behind him Jaehyun’s knot throbbed on Taeyong’s rim as he pressed forward against Johnny’s hold. “Johnny stop, he already—”

“Please,” Taeyong whined, long and high, and chills erupted all over his body. Jaehyun’s grip on his hips turned bruising and Johnny’s hand clenched tighter in his hair until he whimpered. “Please knot me, _please_. I need it so much…” He delicious shiver of humiliation ran all the way down his spine when Johnny growled. “Please please please I’ll do anything you want just please, Johnny, _please_ let him knot me.”

“God, Yong, you’re so…” Jaehyun curled back around Taeyong with an arm around Taeyong’s chest and the other braced on Johnny’s. Taeyong’s knees slid out from under him. His stomach fell back down on Johnny’s cock, gently enough that it probably didn’t hurt. Johnny only groaned and pulled his hair harder.

“You really want his knot, baby?”

“ _Yes,_ please I want it so bad—” Johnny’s lips crushed into his. His cock rocked into Taeyong’s stomach and his tongue licked into Taeyong’s mouth.

“Johnny,” Jaehyun panted as he rut his knot against Taeyong’s rim, “Johnny let him…”

“Please,” Taeyong whispered against Johnny’s lips. His hole ached he needed it so much. He squirmed and mewled. “ _Please!_ ” 

“Come on,” Jaehyun whispered. He was hot like a furnace against Taeyong’s back, panting and shuddering. He had a white-knuckle grip on both of them and his cock punched quick and rhythmless into Taeyong’s ass. “Johnny come on, please let me knot him.”

“Mmm…” Johnny’s tongue tangled with Taeyong’s, wet and sloppy. His grip on Taeyong’s hair was so tight it burned. The intense sensation was the only relief Taeyong had when his body _needed_ so much.

“Johnny please,” Jaehyun whimpered. Both Taeyong and Johnny’s cocks jerked at the same time, and Johnny smirked so hard he had to stop kissing.

“Now I got both of you begging for me?”

Jaehyun let out a frustrated little growl. “Fuck you John.”

“I’m not stopping you dude.”

Jaehyun’s growl got a lot deeper. He snapped his hips in hard. Taeyong yelled as Jaehyun’s knot finally, finally pressed in tight enough to start forcing him open. At the same time Jaehyun slid his hand up Johnny’s neck and got a rough, blind grip on his jaw. 

“Hey!” Johnny made a funny noise that was half laugh and half growl, which got garbled as two of Jaehyun’s fingers shoved into his mouth. Johnny let go of Taeyong’s hair, and Taeyong’s head flopped like deadweight onto his chest. There was some growling and squawking, but both Jaehyun and Taeyong were focused on more important things. Taeyong keened as his hole spread wide. He breathed slowly and made sure he was relaxed, but there was no need. Taeyong’s body opened up beautifully for Jaehyun. There was no hint of pain or stretch, just deep pressure and delicious friction, and then delicious, bone-melting fullness as Jaehyun knot slipped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehe I'm not sorry 
> 
> I have some fic recommendations this week! 
> 
> [Round Each Other Up](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26708290/chapters/65151343) by Sneakiest. It's Yujae, and its possibly the best fic I've ever read. Me and everybody know are Obsessed with this fic.
> 
> [Wist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24426238/chapters/58931668) by speckledsolanaceae. Amazing yujae fantasy that seriously deserves more love. Handsome thieves, Jaehyun with wings, lots of sexual tension and bed sharing, well written fantasy, this fic has it all and I am Obsessed. Please go give it a read.
> 
> [Leg Day](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783238/chapters/68014342) by GinForInk. This is Jaehyun/Junkook(bts). This is a fun, sexy, delightful little rivals to lovers/gym thirst fic. Please enjoy.


	14. Saturday pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! Check the end notes for a posting schedule notice.

The relief that sank into Taeyong’s core when Jaehyun’s finally pushed his knot into him was so intense that Taeyong’s entire body twisted on top of Johnny’s chest. Every inch of his skin throbbed with it. Taeyong gasped out moan after moan as his hole clenched and pulsed around the massive shape that filled him up so completely. He barely felt Jaehyun’s bruising grip, barely heard the string of frantic, rumbly moans against his back. The aching, electrifying pressure in his core took up all his attention. 

It took a minute for him to adjust. The feeling didn’t get any less intense, but he was able to drag his attention back to everything else going on. He noticed the way Jaehyun trembled over him, and the way Johnny’s chest heaved under him. There was a sticky puddle of saliva on Johnny’s pec, under Taeyong’s mouth. Taeyong sheepishly licked it back up when he wasn’t too busy groaning so he wouldn’t stick his cheek in it later. Johnny made a confused little grunt and ground up into Taeyong’s stomach. 

Jaehyun still had a vicious grip on Johnny’s jaw. He had Johnny’s head pushed back and turned to the side, fingers still shoved deep in his mouth. It looked like Johnny was struggling not to choke with the way his throat worked and his teeth clamped down. Both of his hands gripped Jaehyun’s shoulders. 

“Feels okay, baby?” Jaehyun panted against the back of Taeyong’s neck. 

“S-so good,” Taeyong whimpered back, and mewled when Jaehyun rolled his hips a little. His knot shifted and pressed against different parts of him. When Jaehyun stilled, Taeyong wiggled back to get more of that sensation. 

“You took that so well, fuck.” Jaehyun indulged him with a few more rocks and both of them whimpered. Jaehyun buried face tight into the back of Taeyong’s neck as his whole body shook. “Your lock doesn’t work, right?” he gasped.

“M-my what?” 

“Omegas have a… it’s like a muscle thing… guh—ooh…” Taeyong felt Jaehyun’s knot pulse and his chest flex against Taeyong’s back. “K-keeps the knot in once it’s in.”

“Oh…” Yuta hadn’t tried to take the knot back out before shrunk back down, so Taeyong wasn’t sure. “I don’t think I have that…”

“I mean you probably have it,” Jaehyun panted out, “but you probably don’t have the hormones to trigger it.” He began to pull back out again. Taeyong wailed as the width of his knot pushed him open again from the inside and dragged back over his sensitive rim. Johnny also yelled and whacked at Jaehyun’s arm. Taeyong heard some coughing and Johnny relaxed underneath him, so Jaehyun had probably stopped choking him, but Taeyong was too busy experiencing the heady feeling of Jaehyun’s knot filling him up all over again to figure out the details. His toes curled and he keened as it sank back into place.

“Christ, Jay,” Johnny half gasped, half growled. Taeyong let out a broken moan as Jaehyun pulled out again, slow and careful but still crazy intense. “What are you even doing to him?”

“I’m fucking him,” Jaehyun panted as his knot popped back out. “What does it look like?” Without the knot, Taeyong felt almost empty despite how Jaehyun’s huge cock was still in there. His hole clenched hard, aching to be full again. Jaehyun let out a strangled groan as his hips jerked forward. 

“With your _knot?_ ” 

“Uh huh…”

“Fuck…” Johnny moaned. Jaehyun suddenly got heavier as Johnny’s arms wrapped tight and around Jaehyun’s waist and hugged him closer, smashing Taeyong tighter down onto Johnny’s cock. Taeyong glanced up at him. Jaehyun’s hand was still wrapped loosely around his neck, and he blinked with dazed eyes down at Taeyong with his brows pinched and one lip caught between his teeth. Taeyong held eye contact as Jaehyun pressed back in, but the intense sensation of being opened wide had his eyes going hazy and unfocused. Jaehyun filled him up again and his jaw dropped around frantic, desperate moans.

Jaehyun got even heavier. Johnny groaned and rutted his cock quickly into Taeyong’s stomach, and it kind of hurt, but the desperate speed of Johnny’s hips and the way he moaned made it worth it. He was gorgeous like this, all flushed and golden with his plush lips parted and his handsome brows knit, his broad chest solid and warm under Taeyong. His hand twisted back into Taeyong’s hair, just to keep Taeyong’s face pointed in his direction. Jaehyun’s knot popped all the way in. Taeyong’s jaw dropped. His eyes went blurry and his brows furrowed. Moans poured from his lips. Johnny came between them with a broken groan. Taeyong could feel the way his cock pulsed hard against his stomach and hot, wet cum made both their skin slippery. 

Johnny flopped back against the blankets and went totally limp, no longer holding them all so close together, which gave Jaehyun more room to move. He pulled his knot out again and pushed back in. Johnny chest heaved against Taeyong’s cheek as he played with Taeyong’s hair, and Taeyong drooled all over his chest some more. Jaehyun’s knot filled him up so good. 

“I wanna move.” Jaehyun suddenly sat up with Taeyong still clutched to his chest. “I wanna see your face—holy shit, Johnny did you cum again?”

Taeyong’s head spun. He got a quick, beautiful view of Johnny’s perfect body splayed on the blankets, abs smeared with his own cum, before his eyes blacked out for a second from sitting up too fast. It was just regular old low blood pressure, which disorientingly cleared up right as Jaehyun lay him back down again. Taeyong scrambled to find which way was up and ended up with two handfuls of Jaehyun’s gorgeous arms. Jaehyun smiled down at him, sweaty and disheveled and glowing, dimples out.

“How are you doing, cutie?” Even when Jaehyun was panting, his voice was still deep and smooth.

“Good.” Taeyong’s legs were so tired that he barely had enough strength to lift them to drop them over Jaehyun’s thighs, and they definitely didn’t have the strength to pull him in by the waist, but he didn’t have to. Jaehyun gave himself one more generous squirt of lube and pulled Taeyong’s hips into his lap.

“Here, pillow,” said Johnny, and lifted Taeyong’s head up so he could slide his green-blanket-covered lap underneath. The cum on his stomach had been wiped off, and he had the blanket bundled up enough that Taeyong couldn’t even feel his still hard cock through it. Taeyong got his neck comfy on Johnny’s crossed ankles as Johnny got to work mopping jizz off Taeyong’s stomach too with the corner of a sheet. Jaehyun lined up. “You’ve been behind him this whole time, right Jay?” said Johnny. “Wait to you see his faces, they’re so good.”

“Now I’m self-conscious,” Taeyong grumbled. His hands made it halfway up to his face before Johnny caught them and pulled them up onto the green blanket on his lap instead.

“Don’t you dare, prettiest boy in the world, we want to see you.”

Taeyong was about to put up a fuss for the sake of his pride, but then Jaehyun pushed in again. Taeyong’s eyes rolled back and fluttered shut. His lips fell open around a deep, satisfied moan. Lying on his back was way more comfortable than the previous positions, and every wave of pleasure felt bone-deep, like he was melting into the bed. Taeyong felt himself go a little cross-eyed as Jaehyun gave him half a dozen deep, heavy thrusts, and caught his lip in his teeth to keep himself from moaning too graphically. It didn’t really work. Jaehyun’s knot pressed up to his entrance and Taeyong’s back arched off the bed with a loud groan.

“Please don’t make me beg this time,” he breathed, and blinked down at Jaehyun, forcing his eyes to focus. 

Jaehyun’s stared down at him with wide eyes and parted lips. “Oh don’t worry,” he groaned, and then he pressed in. 

For the first time since they started, Taeyong got to watch Jaehyun too. Johnny had his eyes fixed firmly on Taeyong’s face, and it seemed like a shame, because pleasure was absolutely beautiful on Jaehyun. His dimples sank into his cheeks and his thick, handsome eyebrows furrowed. Those long eyelashes fluttered over his soft, deep brown eyes. He was already so gorgeous, but even more so when his masculine features lost all their usual stoic composure. Taeyong fought to keep his eyes focused because he wanted to see as Jaehyun came apart.

Jaehyun’s knot slid home. It punched through Taeyong’s nerves all the way up to his hairline, blurring his vision and shivering down his spine. Johnny chuckled and squeezed his hands, and Taeyong realized he was gripping Johnny’s fingers as hard as his shaking hands could manage. He blinked hard, trying to find Jaehyun’s face again, but Jaehyun got a good grip on his hips and pulled back. The way his knot rocked back against Taeyong’s rim rang him like a gong. His eyes slammed shut. 

He squeezed his thighs around Jaehyun’s sides, trying to move him closer. Jaehyun didn’t seem to notice at all. His knot plunged past Taeyong’s rim and back out again once, twice, one more time, and loud, long moans ripped from Taeyong’s chest. 

“Fuck,” Jaehyun breathed. “Look at him.” One hand left Taeyong’s hip and he felt a thumb press against his lower lip. 

“I have been,” Johnny murmured above him, low and reverent. Taeyong dropped his jaw and invited Jaehyun’s thumb into his mouth. Both alphas groaned together. 

The thumb tasted like lube. Taeyong gave it one tender suck. Jaehyun’s hips stuttered hard inside him and Taeyong’s back arched. The thumb slipped out of his mouth and left a wet trail over his cheek.

Jaehyun ground forward and froze, buried so deep that Taeyong began morbidly wondering how he even fit. He had barely enough time to whine before Jaehyun’s damp, strong hands gripped the back of his knees and pushed them away from Jaehyun’s sides, up and back until he was bent nearly in half. “Johnny,” Jaehyun hissed. Johnny let go of Taeyong’s hands and grabbed the backs of his knees, holding him open for Jaehyun, who planted both his hands on Taeyong’s instead. Their fingers laced together. Taeyong felt pinned in place as certainly as if their hands were steel, arms immobilized, legs too weak to resist, ass stuffed full and throbbing.

Taeyong managed to blink his eyes open again, and Jaehyun hovered above him, a little out of focus but still so beautiful, with flushed cheeks and wide, glazed eyes. Sweat dripped from his bangs and his chest heaved.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun hissed. “ _Fuck_ Taeyong.” He leaned forward and pressed Taeyong’s hands into Johnny’s thighs then he shoved in. Deeper. Taeyong let out a high pitched, frantic little whine as his whole body pulsed. His passage fluttered around Jaehyun.

“Is this okay, baby?” Johnny breathed. Taeyong blinked up at him and his fingers dug into the backs of his thighs as soon as they made eye contact. Taeyong tried to make his mouth form words and groaned instead, but he managed a nod.

Jaehyun started to pull out again and then just shoved in instead. He rolled his hips, rocking his knot against Taeyong’s walls. This was what Yuta had done when he got his knot inside, not thrusting but rutting. It felt so good. Also like Yuta, Jaehyun lost control. He grunted and whined as he ground into Taeyong’s body with a frantic, unsteady pace. He bared his teeth, which made his dimples come out, and his eyebrows pinched together with desperate, dimply anguish. The silver chain he always wore was shifted around to hang more down his back, so it wrapped around his neck like a delicate collar. He looked like a dream, out of his mind with pleasure, pale skin rippling with muscles and glowing with sweat.

His knot shifted constantly against Taeyong’s sweet spot and kept every second of pressure feeling intense and new. Taeyong felt the tension of a really good orgasm begin to build in the base of his cock, waiting for a touch that would send him over.

“Jay,” Taeyong gasped, and Jaehyun’s hips stuttered again with a whine. “Jay, k-kiss…”

Jaehyun dropped down over him and smashed their lips together. He burned hot. His hands slid out of Taeyong’s, down his arms and onto his body, grasping, petting, squeezing. His knot jerked fast right up into Taeyong’s sweet spot. When Taeyong moaned, Jaehyun held him tighter and rutted faster. Taeyong slid both hands into Jaehyun’s hair, only to find that one of Johnny’s was already there. Their fingers brushed together as Taeyong tangled into Jaehyun’s damp locks. He let one hand fall to grip the back of Jaehyun’s neck as he lapped sloppily at Jaehyun’s tongue. Most of his mind and the last of his strength focused was on angling his hips to get Jaehyun’s knot to crush just right against his prostate, to get the thickness of his shaft to press up into him where the pressure felt most intense.

“Taeyong,” Jaehyun growled. His clung to Taeyong’s body like a child with a teddy bear. His lips slipped down Taeyong’s cheek and landed against his neck. Taeyong felt tongue and teeth and the dull pain of tight suction. Jaehyun’s moans broke into growls and whines. His hips pistoned in and out so hard that it yanked at Taeyong’s rim and filled his core with so much sensation that he felt it radiate into his chest and his thighs. Jaehyun finally slammed deep, practically vibrating, and bit down on the crook of Taeyong’s neck hard enough to sting. His knot pulsed and twitched so hard inside him that he could feel it in the way the pressure changed, and a loud groan tore from his throat.

Slowly, he went still. Taeyong whimpered and twitched as Jaehyun’s knot continued to throb in him. He’d seen enough alpha porn to know what was happening inside him. When Alphas came with their knots, thin, translucent fluid poured out almost like they were pissing but with strong, rhythmic streams as their knots pulsed. It made so much fluid. Taeyong tipped his face into the green blanket, away from Jaehyun’s head to give him more room for his gnawing.

“Easy on Taeyong’s neck, dude,” said Johnny. His fingers brushed over Taeyong’s throat and tapped against Jaehyun’s lips until his teeth loosened. Taeyong sighed with relief and a touch of disappointment. The pressure in his core gradually increased as Jaehyun pumped him full. 

“Oh fuck, baby,” Jaehyun slurred as he lifted his head up. “I bit you really hard, I’m so sorry.” 

“S’fine,” Taeyong gasped. He whined and arched his back as his hole contracted around Jaehyun’s knot.

Johnny pushed Jaehyun’s head out of the way. “You didn’t make him bleed, did you?”

“No, of course not.” He ducked around Johnny’s hand to leave little kisses on his tooth marks.

“Dude, touch him,” Johnny growled as Jaehyun rolled his hips slowly into Taeyong and held him close. Taeyong’s hole clenched again.

“Gimme a fuckin second, John, I still can’t even see straight.”

“Don’t ‘John’ me, if you can keep fucking him then you can jerk him off.” Johnny dropped the one leg he was still holding to shake Jaehyun’s shoulders. Jaehyun got out about half a growl but it turned into a moan when Taeyong’s muscles clenched. Without Johnny holding his legs up, they were too heavy to lift and flopped wide over Jaehyun’s thighs.

He did really want somebody to touch his dick though. Jaehyun still clung sluggishly to his body, coming down, while Taeyong was still stuffed so full he could barely handle it. With nobody moving and nothing touching his cock, Taeyong had nothing to focus on but the fullness and pent up tension. He fisted a hand into the green blanket and tried to hold very still while the alphas squabbled and did his best to ignore how his whole body throbbed and his cock ached with need.

“Taeyong, baby,” Jaehyun dropped little kisses on his cheekbone. “You okay?”

Taeyong realized he was grimacing pretty hard. He opened his eyes and a tear slipped out.

“Oh no, Yong. What’s wrong?” Jaehyun pushed up fast and hovered over him, elbow braced on Johnny’s leg.

“Is he okay? What happened?” Johnny’s fingers combed through his hair.

Jaehyun cupped Taeyong’s cheek and whipped the tear away. 

“S’just …a lot,” Taeyong whispered. He took Jaehyun’s hand from his face and tried to drag it down towards his cock, but his arms were so tired it probably just felt like he was hanging on. “Please,” he breathed. 

“Please what, baby? I can try to pull out.”

“Nnn—” Taeyong shook his head and pulled his wrist again. “Touch me.”

“Told you,” Johnny grumbled, but he got drowned out by the long, deep moan that exploded from Taeyong’s throat when Jaehyun wrapped his fist around his cock. He jerked Taeyong slow and clumsy, losing his tempo every time Taeyong’s hole fluttered around him, but that was all Taeyong needed. His skin prickled as all that tension and discomfort turned to overwhelming pleasure again. Johnny’s fingertips brushed over his face and through his hair. Jaehyun’s jaw dropped open and his eyelashes fluttered. He threw his head back and groaned when Taeyong squeezed down on him. 

With that gorgeous image, along with the extra pressure from clenching, Taeyong came into Jaehyun’s hand with a broken moan. His back arched, which crushed Jaehyun’s knot against his prostate and seemed to squeeze the cum right out of his cock. Taeyong didn’t think he’d ever cum so much, not even with Yuta. It went on and on until he was completely wrung out, limp in Johnny’s lap. He was still unbearably full, but the mind-numbing pleasure of his orgasm still echoed through his body and no amount of discomfort mattered at all. 

For a little while anyway, until the bliss faded and left him oversensitive. The fullness started to feel like a cramp. Taeyong closed his eyes and breathed through it. Jaehyun stayed still and breathed too. He held his weight off Taeyong’s body, but he tucked his face back into Taeyong’s shoulder.

“You comfy, Yong?” Johnny asked. Taeyong heard him scratch Jaehyun’s head and Jaehyun gave them a low groan.

“Honestly not really,” Taeyong breathed. 

Jaehyun lifted his head, looking unreasonably worried. “Okay lets try something else.” He looped his hands around Taeyong’s back and lifted up, slowly and carefully, until he sat cross-legged with Taeyong in his lap. Taeyong sighed with relief as the cramp faded back towards comfortable fullness and his hips ended up in a much nicer position. He managed to get his feet planted on the mattress without too much difficulty.

“Better?” Jaehyun breathed.

“Mm-hmm.” Taeyong shifted to ease the pressure on his sensitive prostate. Jaehyun gasped and swayed.

“Taeyong you did great,” Johnny’s big, warm hand rubbed his back from behind.

“Thanks.”

Jaehyun swayed again. “Johnny you gotta…” he gently pressed Taeyong into Johnny’s chest and flopped back on the mattress. Johnny laughed and settled down on Jaehyun’s thighs up against Taeyong’s back.

“Look what you did to him, Yong.”

“I didn’t do shit.” Taeyong pulled Johnny’s arms around his waist. “Hey, this position is familiar.”

“How the tables turn.” Johnny poked Jaehyun in the abs. “Did I really look that stupid while you were sitting on my dick earlier?”

Jaehyun snorted. “Bet you looked even dumber.”

“Who looked dumber, baby?” Johnny purred right in Taeyong’s ear. His hand pet soothingly between his hips. It made Jaehyun’s knot shift ever so slightly inside him and filled him with little electric twinges of oversensitivity and deep, satisfying fullness. It was like Jaehyun had filled up a space in him that had always been empty made him whole.

“You both look gorgeous,” he groaned, and reached up to touch Johnny’s face. “Both of you are so hot.”

“Oh, haha.” Johnny giggled and sucked a kiss into Taeyong’s neck. The un-chomped side. “Even when we’re making weird O faces?” 

“Were you not watching Jaehyun’s a minute ago? They were gorgeous. I almost came just watching him.” Jaehyun grinned, dimples out and rubbed Taeyong’s thigh.

“Thanks babe. That means a lot coming from you. You’re faces are… wow.”

Johnny groaned. “Your sex faces are something else, Taeyong. I literally did cum watching them. We don’t call you prettiest boy in the world for nothing.”

“Aw,” Taeyong nuzzled into his head and was about to compliment him back but Jaehyun beat him to it.

“Yours are pretty good too, Johnny.”

“Hehe, thanks man.” Johnny tucked his face into Taeyong’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you looked hot.” Taeyong reached up and pet his hair.

“Thank you,” he murmured. He gave Taeyong a quick squeeze around the chest. For a long moment they all sat there, just relaxing. Johnny’s cock rested against Taeyong’s back, still hard, and occasionally he let out a long, careful sigh. Taeyong was glad he got a rest before taking his too. Right now, he was kind of dreading it, but he was still in the middle of refract. He just needed some time.

After a few minutes Jaehyun sighed happily and stretched, flexing his gorgeous chest, and then tucked his hands behind his head and smiled. “Hey Taeyong.”

“Mm?” 

“Thanks for helping us out so much.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Johnny kissed his shoulder. “You’ve had the worst fucking week and you’re still here.”

“Aw guys, it’s no big deal. I’m like… treating myself right now honestly.”

They both giggled. Jaehyun reached up. Johnny took his hands and helped him haul himself back upright. “I’ve got you trapped on my dick so I wanna be cheesy for a second.”

“Oh god.”

Jaehyun sat up straight so his eyes were only a little lower than Taeyong’s. They were soft and warm. “Thank you for taking such good care of your SigMu brothers even though you’re always sick and your workload is insane.”

He brushed a thumb over Taeyong’s cheek and smiled. Taeyong’s breath caught. 

“Aw Jay it’s just because I love you guys.”

“We know you do, Yong.” Johnny snuggled closer. “We can tell. That’s why we’re such a tight knit frat. Because of you, we all know that no matter what, when we come to SigMu, we’re going to feel welcome. You set that standard.”

Taeyong wrapped an arm around Jaehyun’s neck and slipped his other hand into Johnny’s. “You guys are giving me way too much credit. This is just a really good group of guys. We got lucky.” 

“I mean yeah, but we also want to make you proud.” 

“Aw, guys…” Taeyong chest started to feel dangerously full again, like it had last night when Mark told him that the whole frat skipped class when he fainted.

“You know,” Johnny said, “Mark pledged SigMu because during rush when he said he had to skip a party to study so he wouldn’t fail a class, you tutored him every day for a week straight just so he could come. And I was going to pledge a different frat when we rushed together, but you said you were pledging SigMu, so I did too.”

“Really?”

He tried to turn around to look at him and got a sloppy kiss on the mouth for his efforts.

“I wasn’t going to pledge at all.” said Jaehyun. “I rushed to humor Johnny, and SigMu was a few cool guys, but it was mostly stuck-up seniors about to graduate. If we hadn’t talked at the first party, I wouldn’t have come back.”

Taeyong turned back around and kissed him too. “What about, like, Taemin and Minho? And Junmyeon’s clique? They’re why I joined.”

“They helped.” Johnny pet his sides. “But right now I think all the SigMu brothers credit you for turning a dying frat into something really amazing. SigMu wouldn’t be SigMu without you.” 

Taeyong bit his lip and tucked his face into Jaehyun’s shoulder. How was he supposed to debrother after a speech like that? SigMu was already in such a delicate position, a scandal like his could destroy them if he didn’t leave, but it was so hard when he loved them so much.

“Don’t cry, Yong.”

“I’m trying,” he sniffled. “You couldn’t wait until after I wasn’t stuffed full of knot to drop all that on me?”

Jaehyun chuckled and kissed his hair. Johnny stroked his stomach. “I think Jay just likes emotional sex.”

“Yeah, he’s a big softie.” Taeyong pulled back so he could pinch Jaehyun’s pink cheeks and kiss him on the nose. “So cute.”

“What about me?” Johnny snuggled into his back. Taeyong could perfectly imagine his little pout, and the way his expression pinched with a little gasp when his knot brushed against Taeyong’s back. 

“You’re cute too. Both of you are like big teddy bears.” He tipped his head so Johnny could suck under his ear. “Seriously though, thank you guys.”

Jaehyun hummed deep in his chest and pulled Taeyong in for slow, lazy kisses. Their lips and tongues tangled together for a long time. Sometimes Taeyong switched to Johnny over his shoulder while Jaehyun kissed his neck and chest. Johnny’s breath had gone shaky. Now and then his hands squeezed hard and he fidgeted. Jaehyun’s knot shifting in Taeyong’s body stopped making him twitch with oversensitivity. The fullness just felt good. Blissfully comfortable. It was intense, deep, and secure.

Slowly the pressure eased. Hot, slippery cum began to leak from his hole into Jaehyun’s lap, which Taeyong figured he could deal with since it was his anyway.

“Fuck I feel so good,” Jaehyun whispered against his lips. “Taeyong you have no idea how good it feels to finally get to knot somebody after three days in rut.”

“Go ahead and brag about it then,” Johnny grumbled. “Can you just pull out already? I’m in pain again.” 

“Johnny seriously?” 

“What do you mean seriously?” Johnny growled. “Am I seriously in pain? Yes I am.”

“Dude I know but I’m not going to make you stop early when it’s your turn. You can’t wait like three more minutes?”

Johnny let out an angry huff. The kissing stopped. Now it just felt like everybody was sitting there waiting for it to be over. Taeyong tried rolling his hips. Jaehyun let out a tiny moan and wet splashed out. Gross. Taeyong didn’t bother trying that again.

“Jay,” Johnny grunted after a minute. 

Jaehyun stiffened. “What.” 

“Sorry.”

“Oh.” He relaxed again. “S’cool.”

“Oh my god you two are so cute.”

Jaehyun chuckled and slid his hands up Taeyong’s thighs. “Cute isn’t really what we go for, but I’ll take it.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about dude, I’m always trying to be cute with you.” Johnny reached around Taeyong’s shoulder and scratched behind Jaehyun’s ear. Jaehyun grinned and leaned into it.

“Mm, you’re lucky I just knotted or I would kick your ass.” His hands slid all the way up to Taeyong’s disgustingly wet butt and got a good grip.

“Sure, little.” 

Jaehyun rumbled out a very half-assed growl that sounded almost like a purr and made Johnny giggle. “Aw you growled at me. Now you gotta kiss me.”

“Taeyong would like that, wouldn’t he?” Jaehyun’s eyes drifted over to Taeyong, still leaning into Johnny’s scritches. 

“Mmm, yeah I would,” Taeyong murmured.

Jaehyun looked back at Johnny from under his eyelashes and raised his eyebrows. Taeyong’s eyebrows also shot up. Johnny’s fingers slid around the back of Jaehyun’s head, into his hair. He pressed up against Taeyong’s back and leaned in over his shoulder. Taeyong’s jaw dropped as their lips slid together. 

Jaehyun’s cheeks dimpled when he kissed, which Taeyong knew because he could feel it with his fingers, but he’d never been able to see how his kiss dimples looked from the outside with his eyelashes fanned against his cheeks and his soft lips puckered against Johnny’s. 

Johnny was a perfect contrast to Jaehyun’s handsome softness with his intense, furrowed eyebrows and sharp bone structure. He was cautious, but as Taeyong leaned away so he could get a better view he could see the way Johnny’s jaw was tense and his hands fisted in Jaehyun’s hair and on Taeyong’s waist. Their lips slid together a few times. Then Jaehyun let out a soft laugh. Johnny smiled and gave Jaehyun bottom lip a little nip to get him to focus. His lips and jaw worked powerfully against Jaehyun’s, demanding more. Jaehyun was pliant after his comedown, but Johnny buzzed with frustration. A growl rumbled in his chest whenever Jaehyun hesitated.

Jaehyun took a deep breath and relaxed into it. He tipped his head back indulgently as Johnny sat up on his heels and towered over him. He opened his mouth for Johnny to lick inside. The edge of a smirk appeared on his parted lips as Johnny huffed and crushed them both closer. When Johnny pushed him, he laid back on the mattress. Jaehyun’s cock finally slid out of Taeyong as Johnny tucked him against Jaehyun’s side. The last of Jaehyun’s cum poured down Taeyong’s thigh like a little waterfall. Taeyong felt his hole gape open. His hips were still propped up on Jaehyun’s, straddling one of his thighs, and cold breezed up into his loose, wet hole. Taeyong shivered and his cock throbbed. Above him Johnny trembled as he kissed Jaehyun down into the mattress.

They looked so hot together, so much handsome alpha all at once, working in harmony when they were supposed to clash. Their hands tangled in each other’s hair, petting and tugging. Jaehyun gripped Taeyong’s shoulder as Johnny bit his lip. Johnny bore down relentlessly until Jaehyun was back to panting. He let out little grunts that were almost growls and almost moans, and Johnny breathed strained groans into his mouth. Taeyong was willing to bet that Jaehyun had never been kissed like that before, never been pushed down and overpowered. He seemed a little lost, the way he kept tensing up and going slack again. He clutched Taeyong against his side and shuddered as Johnny licked deep in his mouth, but a moment later he let out a deep, happy moan when Johnny big hand dragged down his chest and met Johnny’s kisses with languid eagerness.

Johnny’s hand left where it was pawing at Jaehyun’s abs and swept over Taeyong’s ass instead. Two fingers dipped quickly into Taeyong’s hole, but he was so loose he could barely feel it.

The blunt press of Johnny’s cock to his rim was all the warning Taeyong got before he got slammed full again. He cried out as Johnny plunged all the way in with bruising force. Johnny shouted too. He curled over Jaehyun’s chest and shook as his knot pressed right up against Taeyong’s hole. 

Apparently Taeyong’s body wasn’t quite as desperate for a knot as it had been. It didn’t make his hair stand up on end like it had before, but still sent a hard shiver all the way up his spine and his hole clenched.

“Fuck!” Johnny gasped. “Oh fuck oh fuck—guh… Didn’t expect it… t-to go in so easy.”

God he was big. Bigger than Jaehyun for sure. It was hard to tell if the fact that he wasn’t uncut like Jaehyun made any difference. Maybe more friction.

“Again,” he breathed. Johnny let out a loud groan and slid out so easy, lubricated by Jaehyun’s slick, and pounded back in. That felt good. Taeyong let the intense pressure and friction wash over him again.

“Fff-fuck!” Johnny’s hips pistoned back into him, Taeyong yelled with each hard thrust. He still ached a little from Jaehyun, and that just added to the sensation. 

“Lube,” Jaehyun insisted, which was probably totally unnecessary, but lube dried out slower than bodily fluids. Johnny stopped with a whine to lube up in record time and came back even wetter. 

“I-I can go slow if you need, Yong,” Johnny offered breathlessly, even though his hips ground unevenly against his ass, looking for any friction he could get. “Jaehyun already fucked you pretty hard.”

Taeyong shook his head. “Don’t go slow.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I want hard.”

Johnny groaned and got to it. He was so big, so powerful. Muscles that size would have been imposing on anybody, but on an alpha they were dense, spring loaded weapons. Taeyong almost regretted setting him loose on his ass, but it felt so, so good. Potent and visceral. Pleasure tingled out to every corner of his body and the harder Johnny fucked, the stronger it got. Taeyong tried to arch up against his hips but all he did was wear himself out more. He didn’t have the strength. All he could do was lie there and moan and take it.

“Doing okay, cutie?” Jaehyun purred as he pet Taeyong’s hair. “Tell us if it ever hurts okay?”

“Hnnnng!” said Taeyong. Johnny let out frantic groans almost as loud as Taeyong’s. He collapsed over him and buried his face in Jaehyun’s chest, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but his hips didn’t slow down. They angled to start sliding over Taeyong’s prostate, and his knot slammed against his rim with every brutal thrust. Taeyong’s body was with the program now. Every nerve in his body lit with desperate need again. Goose bumps raised along his arms. His hole clenched and throbbed.

“Johnny!” He squealed, and then couldn’t make his request because apparently calling Johnny’s name made him fuck even harder. Instead he wailed as the bone melting pleasure pounded through him.

Sombody banged very loudly on the door. A both fists kind of bang. Johnny froze and both alphas growled furiously.

“WHOOO! Yeah Taeyong get it!!” Yelled Taeil from the other side. “Thanks for the most interesting morning shit ever!” The growling died down a little, even with a fresh wave of banging, until Yuta’s voice said “bro shut the fuck up, I’m trying to jerk off!” from further down the hall, and then the growling turned right back up again. Taeyong’s entire face and all the way down his chest burned with embarrassment.

“Be safe you guys! Don’t break Taeyong!” Taeil shouted with a final drumroll that rattled the door against the frame, and then his footsteps stomped down the stairs.

Nobody moved for a couple moments. The growling stopped. Johnny’s panting from where he was still held against Jaehyun’s chest filled the room. Taeyong tucked his face into Jaehyun’s shoulder and hoped his hair hid how red his ears were.

“K,” Jaehyun muttered. 

Johnny sat up out of Jaehyun’s embrace and pulled out.

Taeyong whimpered before he could help it and reached back for him. “Johnny, why?” 

“Just changing positions, baby,” Johnny turned him onto his back on the mattress next to Jaehyun with his head still pillowed on Jaehyun’s arm. “Wanna see your face.” He plunged back in again. Taeyong’s eyes rolled back. 

This was his favorite position, he decided, as Johnny shoved his knees back up to his chest and pounded so deep that Taeyong couldn’t feel anything else. His knot slammed against Taeyong’s rim. Taeyong forgot how to move. His back arched on his own, his head twisted against Jaehyun’s arm, but he couldn’t remember how to lift his arms or stop loud, obscene moans from pouring from his mouth. Johnny nipped and sucked clumsily at his chest and his neck, moaning almost as loud as Taeyong with every thrust. His hands dug into Taeyong’s thighs. These thrusts ached, but the deep intensity of it felt good. Each one was so overwhelming that Taeyong wished he had time to recover before the next, but Johnny was fast. Each one built on the last until Taeyong could barely handle it. All he could do was scream and gasp and cling to Johnny’s shoulders. Somehow he had to take it until it was over. 

“Careful bro,” Jaehyun murmured as he dragged his hand through Johnny’s hair. He tucked his forehead against Taeyong’s temple. “You okay, Yong?” 

“Uhuh...nnng—” he cut off with a scream as Johnny slammed over his prostate. 

“Tell us if it doesn’t feel okay.” 

“Mm.” 

Jaehyun’s hand slid down his chest, gentle and reassuring, but Taeyong was so busy processing how his cock had started throbbing like he might actually cum from this that he barely noticed until Jaehyun pressed down between his hips and murmured, “he’s so big I can feel him in you,” and heat prickled over every inch of Taeyong’s skin. It added to the deep, aching tension that Johnny’s brutal thrusts had curling in his core. Taeyong flexed against him, trying to get his hips the perfect angle where it felt so intense he couldn’t think. Johnny slammed away like a machine. God, Taeyong wanted his knot so bad, but he also wanted to keep getting railed like this. Just a little bit longer and then he could beg for Johnny’s knot, he was so close.

“John-nyy,” he wailed, and Johnny growled back. His thrusts reached a frantic pitch and Taeyong felt himself reach a breaking point, something tipped, all that tension bloomed into hot, molten relief and throbbed from his cock out to every muscle in his body. His passage contracted over and over around Johnny’s cock, and Johnny faltered too. He let out a long groan and ground his hips in tight, filling him to the brim. Quick, erratic pumps of his cock kept the friction going just enough for Taeyong to ride out whatever the fuck kind of orgasm that was. His ears rang. His hole throbbed like a bruise. Sticky cum covered his stomach and dripped out of his ass as Johnny pulled out, but Taeyong was still hard. He still ached for Johnny’s knot like he needed it to breath. 

“Kn-not?” he managed to squeak as Johnny let his legs go and gathered him up against his chest. 

“What?” Johnny gasped like he’d just run a marathon, “You want my—god, baby are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” he breathed. His struggled to hold onto Johnny’s back as being upright again made his vision go a little tunnely, low blood pressure style again. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” 

Jaehyun’s warm hand rubbed his back. “You came cutie. You’re going to need a minute.”

“I’m still hard,” he whined. Johnny was too. He could feel his full, hard knot against the back of his thigh. “Please, y-you can’t just…” he stopped to pant air back into his lungs, “tease me w-with a knot and not… put it in.” His hole gave an impatient throb and Taeyong curled tighter and shuttered. “Please,” he moaned again. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” said Johnny. “I think I was too rough just now. You’re like, really out of it. Maybe we should stop.” 

“W-what?” Taeyong squirmed weakly, trying to wiggle against his knot, which still throbbed against the back of his thigh. That didn’t make any sense. Johnny hadn’t gotten to knot him yet. He had to be even more crazy frustrated than Taeyong after slamming the damn thing against his hole over and over here at the end of a sexless rut. “It’s okay.” He gasped as the room spun when Johnny lay him back down onto Jaehyun’s arm. Jaehyun snuggled up to Taeyong again with an arm wrapped around his chest. Taeyong’s eyes wouldn’t focus. He didn’t even have the strength to spread his legs, but he did try. “I want you to hurt me,” he pleaded.

“Yong,” Jaehyun whined.

Johnny swallowed hard. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry.” 

“Johnny,” Taeyong whimpered, and Johnny folded down over him. Their mouths smashed together, hot breath and plush trembling lips. Taeyong opened up for him. He sucked on Johnny’s tongue and whimpered as his Johnny’s knot rested against his throbbing dick.

“I really don’t want to hurt you, okay? I’m kinda freaking out right now because I’m worried I already did.”

“But I like it.” Taeyong blinked a few times to try and get his eyes to focus but they still wouldn’t. 

“But I don’t,” Johnny whined. 

“You’re his nesting buddy, Yong.” Jaehyun dropped the softest kiss on Taeyong’s cheek. “He’s going to feel like shit if he hurts you, even if you’re cool with it.” 

“I’d feel like shit if I hurt Yong even if I wasn’t on my cycle,” said Johnny. “And the whole frat would kill me.”

“You’re already so fragile.”

Taeyong let out a frustrated groan and went limp. Both alphas snuggled in and cooed little apologies as Taeyong dragged his shaking hands up to cover his face so he could think. There had to be some way to convince them that he’d be fine, he just had to remember how to form sentences, but that was so hard when his ass twinged and ached. It felt like he needed to be full before his brain worked again. One slow breath at a time. Two gentle pairs of lips on his skin. 

His heart rate slowed as his head cleared. Instead of a persuasive way to beg, his mind produced the realization that he was being dramatic and the intoxicating desperation for Johnny’s knot faded to a rational want instead of a hormone fueled need. A lot of frustration stuck around, but it was more directed at his stupidly delicate constitution and what a pitiful slutty mess he was. When he reemerged, both alphas looked down at him with matching worried pouts. Taeyong almost hid again. 

“K I’m good,” he said in a whispery little voice and gasped as Johnny’s knot pressed against his ass. 

Johnny sat up and dragged his hands down Taeyong’s bony chest. “Should we stop?” 

“If you don’t knot me, we’re breaking up.” 

Johnny gasped. 

“But you’re probably right, we shouldn’t be rough.” 

Jaehyun rubbed his thigh. “How’s your butt, cutie?” 

“Uh… sore but still useable I think.” 

Johnny winced and grabbed his knot, and Taeyong wished he could pull him in and grind up against that knot until Johnny put the damn thing in, but there was no way his aching legs or abs were up to that. 

“It’s just a few more hours, we don’t have to do my knot, I’ll be fine,” Johnny said through gritted teeth. 

“That would be dumb since that neither of us are finished.” 

Johnny snorted. “Yong, you look like I hit you with a car. Right now I just want to take care of you, okay?”

Taeyong closed his eyes so Johnny wouldn’t see them roll. “Then take care of me, John. Put your fucking knot in. And please stop making me say how much I need it. It’s just as embarrassing every time.” 

“Just be gentle, dude.” Jaehyun stopped rubbing Taeyong’s thigh and rubbed Johnny’s instead. “If he says he can take it then he can take it.”

Johnny let out a soft moan and his eyes slipped closed. “Okay,” he breathed. “Fine. We’ll go real easy.”

“Good, thank you.” Taeyong reached up for him. “And come here, I want a kiss.”

Johnny practically fell on top of him. Taeyong yelped as their mouths crashed together and then giggled around Johnny’s tongue. Giggles turned quickly to moans as Johnny ground his knot against Taeyong’s butt. 

Jaehyun nuzzled into Taeyong’s cheek. “Me too please.” 

Taeyong turned to find Jaehyun’s lips but Johnny got there first. Jaehyun grunted in surprise and then laughed. They nipped and sucked back and forth like they were play-fighting, with hair tugging and nipple pinching. Taeyong watched them and giggled.

“Thank you guys for taking care of me.”

“Mmhm,” Jaehyun turned and kissed him too while Johnny hovered over and waited his turn. 

“I’m kind of a high maintenance boyfriend,” Taeyong said as Jaehyun kissed down his throat. “You guys have been great.”

“You’re really not.” Johnny kissed the inside of his wrist. “We were the high maintenance ones. I can’t believe how much you put up with.”

Jaehyun muttered “you’re an angel,” from the crook of his shoulder and peppered little kisses over where his bite marks still ached.

“Thanks for letting me live out my wildest horny rut sex fantasies.” 

“Oh no. Baby. Thank _you_ ,” said Johnny.

“You’re welcome, now please please please give me your knot, Johnny.”

“Yup. Okay.” Johnny give Taeyong one more deep, bruising kiss and then lifted him up again. “I think we should do back to front so we can spoon while my knot goes down.”

“I-I don’t know if I can—” Johnny dropped him onto his hands and knees, both of which gave out like they were made of playdough and Taeyong crumpled onto his side. 

“Oh fuck.” Jaehyun flopped down next to him and tried to help him back up.

“I seriously can’t hold myself up anymore,” Taeyong grumbled with burning ears. 

“Uh…” Johnny shuffled around behind him on his knees. “Are you going to be okay if I lie on top of you or…” 

“Maybe you guys should start spooning.” Jaehyun gently rolled Taeyong onto his side. 

“That could be nice.” Johnny shuffled into place behind Taeyong. His broad chest pressed up against his back, warm and steady like always. “It’s not like I’m going to need a lot of leverage anyway.” The lube cap clicked. “Ready, babe?”

“Yeah.” 

In true desperate horny alpha in rut fashion, Johnny did not wait to get in the mood. He lifted Taeyong’s leg and slid home in an easy, slow slide. Taeyong remembered with a little flush how difficult it had been to take Johnny at first and now it felt easy as breathing. He didn’t feel one wrong move away from pain anymore. He felt so pliant. Johnny’s cock filled him with all the pressure and fullness that he craved but it wasn’t nearly as intense anymore. He kind of missed the intensity, but this was nice too. 

He almost forgot they still had to put the knot it. When it pressed against his rim, waves of need rolled through his stomach. Johnny let out a deep, broken groan and curled over him. He buried his face in Taeyong’s hair and lowered his leg to get a firm grip on his hip instead. The pressure increased as Johnny pushed him open. Taeyong’s rim spread wide around the hard swell of Johnny’s knot. It was the biggest thing Taeyong had taken all day. This time there was no stretch or sharp pain, just deep, aching pleasure. It felt so right. Like he was made for this. 

He literally was, he realized with a flinch, and tensed up enough that his rim locked down on the widest part of Johnny’s knot. 

“Baby breathe,” Johnny whispered, voice trembling. “Deep breaths.” 

Taeyong tried. Now was not the time to let all the anxiety from the past few days swell back up. 

Jaehyun cupped his cheeks and pressed their foreheads together. “Taeyong,” in his gorgeous, deep purr or a voice. Their lips brushed. Taeyong reached for him and got a hand wrapped around his shoulder. The other pawed at chest. Taeyong’s tension unwound just enough to Johnny to safely slide the rest of the way in.

“Fuck, you’re so big,” he breathed. Johnny let out a wobbly little whine in response as he panted into Taeyong’s hair. 

“Are you comfy?” Jaehyun asked. His thumbs brushed over Taeyong’s cheeks. 

“Yes.” Taeyong breathed. He felt deliciously, achingly full. The satisfaction buzzed out to every corner of his body like he had honey flowing in his veins. He gasped when Johnny shifted. 

Johnny gasped too. His hand clawed between Taeyong’s hips and made the pressure even tighter. “Jay can you jerk him off or something? This isn’t going to take long.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Jaehyun pushed an arm under both Taeyong’s and Johnny’s heads, on pillow duty again, and snuggled closer. The legs were inconvenient, but Jaehyun dragged Taeyong’s knee over his thigh and tangled their ankles together until he could get their hips close enough to line their dicks up. Taeyong gasped as their shafts pressed together and he clenched down on Johnny’s knot. The combined pleasure left him clutching at Jaehyun and moaning against his lips. His passage contracted around Johnny in a way that was just shy of overwhelming, and it only built as Jaehyun started stroking.

“S’this feel good?” Johnny asked, and rocked his knot right into Taeyong’s prostate. Taeyong cried out and shook like a leaf. 

Jaehyun chuckled and pressed a little kiss to Taeyong’s slack mouth. “His dick twitched really hard, so…”

“Awesome.” It must have felt good for Johnny too, because his fingernails dug into Taeyong’s stomach and his hips trembled as he kept rocking right into that perfect spot. He swore colorfully when Taeyong clenched again. 

“You’re doing so good, baby,” Jaehyun said as he worked them both in his fist. “You’re so gorgeous.” His hand didn’t nearly reach all the way around both of them, but the way the sensitive undersides of their heads slid together made up for it. Taeyong’s dick wasn’t big, but he’d never felt small either. Not until he was lined up with a thick, hard, alpha cock. It only added to how overwhelmed he was. Full to bursting, stimulated from all sides. The friction on his cock and the knot in his ass, Jaehyun’s lips on his and Johnny’s breath on the back of his neck. His big, strong hands clutching Taeyong close. 

Johnny’s rocking turned quickly to rutting as his grip got tighter and his panting gave way to soft groans. “S-still okay?” He whispered into Taeyong’s hair. It did almost hurt. His knot jerked against his sore spots, but just enough to feel the soreness, not make it worse. 

“S’good,” he moaned. That tension started to build in the base of his cock again, growing with every press of Johnny’s knot against his sweet spot. This time it grew faster with Jaehyun fist flying over his dick. “F-feels so good,” he mewled. His whole body sang with pleasure that completely drowned out the fatigue and the stress. His alphas pressed in close around him, surrounding him with their rich, warm scents, murmuring sweet words and pampering him with kisses. They took such good care of him. He was going to miss them so much. 

“I’m close,” Johnny grunted. His ruts picked up speed. 

“Me too,” said Jaehyun. Taeyong dragged his hand down his gorgeous body. He stopped to palm the swell of his chest, flexing as his arm worked, and teased a thumb over his nipple. Jaehyun let out a shaky, surprised little moan, so Taeyong gave it the tiniest pinch. Jaehyun moaned again. Taeyong would have kept going but his passage contracted hard around Johnny’s knot. He reached out and gripped Jaehyun’s side instead as his hole squeezed Johnny’s knot over and over. Johnny jerked in with a hard slam and a broken shout, and Taeyong could feel the base of his cock pulse hard against his rim as he came. 

Taeyong came next with a sob as he spilled into Jaehyun’s fist. His vision fuzzed out and he couldn’t tell which way was up. He hadn’t known it was possible to feel so good, like he was floating in a warm, alpha scented cloud of pure bliss. He basked in a few glorious moments of it as his orgasm ran its course before he started to come down. His eyes cleared just in time to see Jaehyun come with a squishy, handsome grimace as his hand flew over his cock and his eyes stayed locked on Taeyong’s face. Taeyong reached down to help him. All he could do was wrap his fingers around his deflated knot and squeeze, but it made Jaehyun’s eyelashes flutter and his moans louder, so Taeyong called it a win. 

Johnny’s knot pulsed slower and slower until finally it was still. Johnny was back to panting like he’d run a marathon. Taeyong only had to shift a little to feel how insanely full he was. If he didn’t move, it felt wonderful. If he did, it felt so weird, almost a little scary. He couldn’t believe his frail body could hold so much.

“You did so good, baby,” Jaehyun breathed and kissed him. “Thank you.”

“Mmm,” Taeyong hummed against his lips even though he wanted to thank him back. Instead he let Jaehyun kiss him slowly and gently, like he was made of glass. After a minute he pulled away and rested their foreheads together again. 

“I’ll go get a towel and some wet wipes okay? Maybe some water?” 

“N-no, don’t—” Taeyong grabbed his gorgeous body with both hands and pressed his head into his arm like that would pin him down. “Don’t leave yet. Stay.” 

“Okay, okay.” Jaehyun smiled, full dimples, and shuffled closer. “We can cuddle for a bit first.” 

Behind Taeyong, Johnny hummed and curled closer against his back. Taeyong could feel his heart still hammering. 

“Thank you guys,” he whispered. “That was amazing.” 

“Thank you for being the best nesting buddy of all time,” Jaehyun kissed him again like he couldn’t help himself. “We love you so much, Taeyong.” Taeyong’s breath caught in his throat as Jaehyun pulled back enough to make eye contact. “It’s not just the hormones talking. We really do. All your brothers do.” 

Taeyong’s chest filled up again. “I love you too, Jay. And you too Johnny. Love you.”

“Oh gee,” Johnny breathed and laughed. “What kind of frat boys are we?” But he smooched the back of Taeyong’s neck and said, “love you too, Yong.” Then he reached up and ruffled Jaehyun’s hair. “Love you, little.” 

Jaehyun leaned into Johnny’s hand. His eyes slipped closed. When Johnny was done petting Jaehyun, his hand came to rest on Jaehyun’s shoulder. Taeyong curled up so his legs were tucked against his chest, which gave Jaehyun room to shuffle in closer. His arm wrapped around Taeyong’s side. The arm he had under their heads had to be asleep by now, but he didn’t seem in any hurry to move it. Both of them folded in over Taeyong, closing him in a warm, sweaty little alpha cave. Johnny’s knot kept them tied together. Jaehyun’s forehead pressed against his and Johnny’s lips stayed planted on the back of his head. 

Taeyong felt so safe, and so comfortable, and even though his short, artificial relationship with the alphas was almost over, he knew he would still have them. They would have his back through all the terrifying, heartbreaking bullshit on its way. Outside their little bubble, Taeyong’s reality crushed in around them, full of job rejections and dirty looks, lost friends, distraught family, potential threats of violence. Debrothering or destroying Sigma Mu. 

All his anxiety came crashing back. Not even Johnny and Jaehyun’s big, warm, strong bodies could block it out.

“I flushed my meds,” he said. It came out tiny and shaky. Both alphas stopped breathing. Taeyong listened to his own heart beat in his ears at least a dozen times before Johnny’s chest finally expanded again. 

“Wait,” he said. “Your suppressants?”

“Like. Down the toilet?” said Jaehyun. 

Taeyong nodded and his throat closed. He looked up and just caught sight of Jaehyun’s dumbfounded face, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, before his eyes fogged with tears.

“That’s amazing, Yong,” Johnny breathed, and squeezed Taeyong closer just as the first sobs shook his shoulders. His knot rubbed right up against Taeyong’s oversensitive prostate and made him whimper. Johnny froze again, but he kissed the back of his neck. 

“It’s going to be okay.” Jaehyun’s voice shook too as he nuzzled against Taeyong’s face. His sticky fingers clutched Taeyong’s side.

It occurred to Taeyong that he may have just destroyed a perfectly good post-coital haze for all of them, and that in a few hours he wouldn’t be their boyfriend anymore, and dropping this bomb on them might have been asking too much. “I-I’m sorry,” he managed to whisper between his sobs. Both alphas shushed him. Their hands pet over his body. Johnny sucked kisses into his skin. 

“Don’t be sorry.” Jaehyun kissed his forehead. “We’re really proud of you.” 

“I’m so scared,” Taeyong whimpered, and burst into a fresh round of sobs. 

Johnny sniffled and squeezed him so tight.

“I bet you are,” Jaehyun murmured. “That’s okay.”

Johnny nodded. “You’ll have all your brothers behind you.” 

Taeyong let all the fear and heartache he’d been holding back days roll through him. He curled forward into Jaehyun’s chest and let himself sob while he still had his alphas there to hold his pieces together. He hadn’t realized how bad he needed to cry, or how scared he was to do it, until he was naked and exhausted and full of alpha knot. Now he let it out, because for the first time, with Johnny and Jaehyun surrounding and filling him from all sides, he felt like he could break down without falling apart. The alphas never shifted or pulled away. They buried him deep in their heavy warmth and rich scent, all soft lips, hot skin and gentle hands, until Taeyong’s sobs slowed to sniffles and his eyes wouldn’t open anymore. 

Once again, twenty or so strange boys crowded the downstairs of the SigMu house in mix of outfits ranging from jeans and t-shirts to blazers and bowties. The blazer belonged to one of the many jaehyuns. The bowtie was on Jisung, who gave Taeyong a bright smile and a wave despite the things he’d heard through the alpha’s door that morning. Mark and Donghyuck’s friends came early instead of late this time, all dressed in impeccable business casual. Soobin and friends, of course, hadn’t shown up at all. Taeyong added that disappointment to pile of rocks that filled his chest. 

“Hello everyone!” Johnny hopped up on the couch next to Jaehyun, who grabbed his leg to steady him when he wobbled. Taeyong actually heard a couple PNMs gasp. They all snapped to attention, if only to eagerly wait for a fight to start. Over by Taeil, Chenle giggled so hard he had to spit his drink back into his cup. “Welcome to the Sigma Mu house. Welcome back to anybody returning for the second time. I’m Johnny, SigMu Vice President number one. I’m in charge of recruitment.” His hair was still damp at the tips from their shower. There were deep bags under his eyes to match Taeyong and Jaehyun’s. At least the two of them didn’t have to wear a turtleneck. The only one they’d found that actually covered all of Taeyong’s bruises belonged to Jungwoo, and it was a nice wool thing that was mostly comfortable but very irritating to the raw tooth marks on Taeyong’s shoulders. 

He realized he had begun to slouch as Johnny gabbed on about what the next step in the recruitment process was, so he took a deep breath and sat back up. His whole torso ached just holding himself upright and even the couch cushions weren’t soft enough to keep his ass from throbbing like a deep bruise when he put all his weight on it. He dropped his head so no one would see him wince. It was hard to lift again. 

Jaehyun’s arm slid from the back of the couch behind Taeyong to wrap around his shoulders. Taeyong leaned back into it to take some of the weight off his core muscles. He took a second to double check that his posture was okay and his resting face looked alert and happy, only to discover that his eyelids were drooping and his lips were pursed tight. He shook himself and got his game face back on. By the time Johnny was done talking, it had slipped again. 

He wasn’t the only one in bad shape. Jaehyun kept a hand on Johnny’s leg the whole time he talked and then offered him a hand to hold onto as he stepped down of the couch. He’s knees definitely almost gave when he hit the floor, but he caught himself just in time. Jaehyun’s supportive arm around his shoulders began to tremble after only a minute, so Taeyong scooted over to lean against the arm of the couch instead and shifted his weight from the bruises on his ass to the bruises on his hip instead. He almost expected Jaehyun to follow him and tuck up against his side, or just put a hand on his knee, but he didn’t. He leaned against the cushions and zoned out instead, hands to himself. 

PNMs milled around, chatting with brothers and munching on chips, but no one approached the couch. Taeyong couldn’t find it in himself to care. He zoned out too until Yuta skipped over and dropped down in the tiny space between him and Jaehyun. Taeyong noted a significant lack of growling. 

“You doing okay, Yong?” Yuta offered him a solo cup full of plain old water.

“Eh…” Taeyong drank the whole thing. 

“All that sleep didn’t help? How long did you sleep for?” 

Taeyong shrugged so he turned to Jaehyun, who tipped his head back against Yuta’s arm and blinked at the ceiling. “He was asleep by eleven and Doyoung woke us up at about five-thirty.” 

The bruises on Taeyong’s hip got too painful to work with anymore so he shifted back onto his ass, only to find that it wasn’t any better, but there was a brand new damp spot in his boxers now. Either lube or alpha cum was still dripping out of his ass. 

“You’ve made your appearance, Mr. President, do you want to go lie down now?” 

Taeyong looked around the room to see if there were any PNMs he wanted to have a better chat with and realized how dumb that was anyway. Most of them looked bored already, deprived of the alpha fight they’d come for. They all still looked out of place. Only five boys fit in, and they were definitely getting bids and definitely accepting them. 

“Yeah, fuck it,” he grumbled. “All I’m doing out here is making us look bad.” 

Donghyuck wandered over with Renjun as Yuta ducked under his arm. “You good, mom? Do I still get to call you mom now that Johnny isn’t my dad anymore?” 

“Of course you can call me mom, you called me mom before,” Teayong failed to hold back a whimper as Yuta stood. His butt felt better but his sore legs and arm had to take weight and Yuta’s arm around his body managed to find a bruise. Renjun caught his other arm as he stumbled. 

“Jay what the fuck,” said Donghyuck, and Renjun said “dang dude what did they do to you?” 

“You know, he wasn’t like this when I got done with him,” Yuta said, turned half around to glare at Jaehyun on the couch. 

Jaehyun huffed. “He was already in better shape when you dragged him into your fuck tent and there’s only one of you. And you’re smaller than us so…” 

Donghyuck grinned like the Cheshire cat and his head whipped back to Taeyong. “Is that true.” 

“Uh… yeah, Johnny and Jaehyun took good care of me, I was just already a mess. And I mean you were signs and apparel chair last semester. You know who’s bigger.” 

Renjun snorted. “I don’t think Donghyuck meant their t-shirt size.”

“That better be what he meant in the middle of a rush event.” Taeyong moved his arm to Renjun’s shoulders for a little more support when his arm began trembling.

“Ooh.” Renjun kicked Donghyuck in the leg. “You’re in trouble.” 

“Shut up.” 

Yuta laughed and gave Taeyong a gentle, reassuring, yet painful squeeze. “People are staring, guys, we should get going. You think you can make it up the stairs?” 

“No, you’d have to carry me.” 

“Let’s go to Mark’s room then.”

As Taeyong let Renjun go he noticed that a few PNMs were, in fact, staring, but since they weren’t getting bids anyway, whatever. 

“You look like shit too, Jay, maybe you should also lie down.”

“Nah.” Jaehyun hauled himself up and scrubbed his hands over his eyes. “I’ll go talk to PNMs for a bit.” 

They made their way to Mark and Donghyuck’s room one step at a time. Taeyong let himself wince as much as he wanted as soon as his back was to the room, and once they rounded the corner, Yuta picked him up and carried him the rest of the way to Mark’s bed. “It’s going to be so great when you have muscle mass and stamina and stuff.” 

“Fuck yeah,” Taeyong groaned, eyes already closed as Yuta plopped him down on the bed. “That was probably a pretty good workout to start with.” 

“I can’t believe they made you do any work at all,” Yuta snickered. “Get that weird wool thing off, I’ll find one of Mark’s shirts for you.” 

“They didn’t, it was just, like, clinging and stuff with muscles I’m never use. And my body was already in terrible shape. I promise they took good care of me.” He got his shirt up around his armpits and gave up because it hurt to lift his arms over his head. 

The door swung open and Doyoung came in, brows pinched with worry. “Yong, are you okay?” 

“Yeah, just not up for it.” 

“Here let me help.” Doyoung wrestled his shirt the rest of the way off. Yuta appeared over Doyoung’s shoulder with one of Mark’s oversize white t-shirts. His eyes bugged when he saw Taeyong’s neck.

“Holy shit.” 

“Don’t worry, I already yelled at them,” said Doyoung, and Taeyong rolled his eyes. 

“One, they already apologized, and two, I liked it.” 

“He does like it kinda rough,” Yuta confirmed. Doyoung staggered away gagging. 

The door popped open again and Mark, Jungwoo and Jeno stuck their heads in. “Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” said Mark. 

“Out!” barked Doyoung. “Half the frat is missing from the party. That’s what’s wrong.” 

“I’m fine,” said Taeyong and frantically dragged blankets over his bony, black and blue body. Luckily Yuta had been standing in the way. “Thanks for checking in but I’m good.” 

“You got this.” Yuta ruffled Doyoung’s hair, who hissed like a cat, and then steered everybody but Doyoung and Mark back out of the room just as a wide-eyed Lucas appeared over their heads. 

“Mark, oh my god, if we didn’t have your friends we wouldn’t get a single pledge this semester.” 

“Yeah, haha. It’s a good thing they have no standards,” said Mark as folded the shirt back up. Doyoung snorted. “Yo I’ve got, like, snacks and stuff in my fridge if you want any.” 

“No thanks.”

“Cool cool,” Mark tucked the shirt back in his dresser and come back with a gray one. “This is super comfy.” 

“Thanks.” He tugged it on with a little help from Doyoung. “Hey Mark, could you pass around that I would be a lot more comfortable if people pretended like nothing was wrong instead of showing a lot of concern over how I got knotted so hard I can’t walk.” 

Mark burst into high pitched giggles and turned bright pink. “Uh, sure man, I’ll let the people know.” 

He gave Taeyong a fist bump, blinked rapidly at Taeyong’s bruises, and exited. Doyoung got him tucked in. “Need more painkiller?” 

“Better not,” Taeyong groaned, because he’d already taken a prescription dose of Ibuprofen. 

“Okay.” He patted Taeyong’s cheek. “I’ll have Lucas or somebody carry you upstairs when the party is done.” 

“Cool,” Taeyong groaned. “Thank you.” 

Doyoung turned the light off on his way out and left Taeyong in the dark. He breathed a sigh of relief and blinked up into the black. He wasn’t sleepy exactly, he’d been asleep for fourteen of the past twenty-four hours, but he was tired. Still disoriented. Taeyong wondered if things would keep feeling strange and off kilter until that was just his reality, and he’d never get the old Taeyong back. He never even got to wish him goodbye. 

Taeyong turned onto his side and took out his phone. He turned it over in his hand, watching the screen light up and go dark over and over. If he opened it, he might find something interesting that would distract him, but he might just impulsively check his emails, and the thought made his chest hurt. 

The door opened once again. Johnny’s tall silhouette filled the door and then it closed again. Taeyong wondered if he’d come snuggle or not. His feet padded softly across the floor and Donghyuck’s bed creaked on the other side of the room. 

Taeyong sighed. “You too?”

“Oh you’re awake.” 

“Yeah, I probably won’t sleep again for a while.” 

“Hm.” The blankets rustled around and Johnny went still. “Apparently I’m being too grumpy for recruiting so I left Doyoung in charge.” 

“Aw. Can’t have you scaring away all those jaehyuns.” 

Johnny chuckled and then sighed. Out in the house, Jungwoo laughed too loud. Taeyong turned his phone the wrong way and it lit up again. He dropped the screen onto the sheets. 

“I probably won’t be able to sleep either.” 

“We slept a lot today.” 

“Mm.” he sighed again. Taeyong scratched at a sticker on the back of his phone. He realized he had no idea where they stood now. Were they back to how it was before? Did they touch more now? Was it weird? The last thing he wanted to do was give Johnny any reason to worry that he’d actually caught feelings, but it seemed like a shame to just drop all that intimacy so fast. It was like Yuta all over again. They should talk about it. But Johnny was already grumpy. With a sinking feeling, Taeyong tucked it onto the ‘to do if the opportunity arises’ list in his brain and hoped it would just work itself out instead.

“Are you doing okay?” Johnny said from the other bed.

“I hurt.” 

Johnny sighed yet again. “Wish I had better painkiller.” 

“Ugh. Me too.” 

Taeyong wanted a snuggle. That would help. Or at least would make the soreness more bearable, but Johnny was also sore and it would be more comfortable for the big guy to have his own bed. Taeyong shelved that too.

“I feel a bit better, like, emotionally.” 

“Cuz of the sleep or the cry?” 

“The cry. I think I needed that.”

“Yeah I kinda got that vibe.” There was a smile in his voice. “Hey, if you ever need to do it again, you know where to find us.” 

Taeyong smiled too. “Thanks.” 

“I’m serious about that. Nesting boyfriends or not, Jay and I are here for you.” 

“I know you are.” 

Johnny sighed once more, but this time it was longer and softer. “Good,” he murmured. Then after a moment of silence. “When did you flush them?” 

“Thursday morning.” 

“Oh wow, so it’s been a few days.” 

“Uh huh.” The cry had definitely helped because right now talking about his suppressants didn’t make his guts tie themselves in knots.

“No wonder you weren’t up for it yesterday.” 

“Yup. It’s been rough.” 

“No kidding. When you told us, I couldn’t believe you’d been acting normal when you had that on your shoulders the whole time.” Donghyuck’s bed creaked like Johnny was turning over. “I’m, like, really scared for you but I’m also so glad you’re off them.” 

“Mm, that makes two of us. Or, like, probably five of us. I haven’t told my mom yet.” The anxiety finally made itself known and Taeyong took a big deep breath to jam it back down. “It’s just crazy that soon everybody’s going to know and I’ve been so scared of people knowing my whole life. Like, Doyoung is the only person I’ve ever voluntarily told. Ever.” 

“Oh wow.” 

“Sorry I’m rambling.” 

“S’fine.” 

Light flooded the room and the door burst open with a loud creak. 

“Ow.” Taeyong slapped a hand over his eyes.

“Mark said to leave you alone but you know me,” said Ten. Taeyong felt hot hands on both his cheeks. “Oh yeah you look like you had fun.” He poked the bite mark. Taeyong didn’t even know how he could see it when the only light came out of the hallway. “Was it worth it?” 

“It was pretty great, yeah.” 

“Good for you.” Ten gave him a wet smooch on the forehead. “You’re going to tell me everything later. I mean everything. Including Yuta.” 

“Okay.” 

Ten trotted over to Johnny and gave him a big kiss on the forehead too. 

“Thanks,” said Johnny. Ten skipped out and closed the door behind him. Quiet fell again. Taeyong took his hand off his eyes and blinked across the blackness that filled the middle of the room wondering if Johnny was looking at him too. He could still remember the exact feeling of Johnny’s body on his, and weight of his hands, and his lips, his heat, the size of his knot, but he was already so far away. 

“Notice any changes yet?” 

“The nausea was better on the first day. That’s it.” 

“Any idea when changes will happen?” 

“Nope. I’m still too nervous to google it.” The sticker on his phone caught his fingertips again. He almost had a corner off. 

“I’ll do it.” 

“Do…? What, the googling?” 

“Yeah I’ll go browse some forums and see what I find.” 

That would be so nice. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll get around to it.” 

“It’s no big deal, dude. It’s not going to stress me out and I’m curious anyway. If that’s something I can take off your plate, then I’m happy to do it.” 

Taeyong wished he had his green blanket, but it was in a laundry hamper upstairs for Doyoung and Yuta to get started on as soon as the party was over. All he had to clutch to his aching chest was his phone. “Thank you. That would really help.” 

“No problem.” The silence dragged on. Taeyong shifted onto his back again. He checked his phone really fast to see how much more party they still had to go and was not happy with what he saw. 

“Do you want to cuddle?” said Johnny out of nowhere. Taeyong almost whined. 

“That’s okay. The beds are pretty small.” 

“You wanna cuddle.” 

Taeyong made a groan of protest but did not complain as Donghyuck’s bed creaked and Johnny appeared at his bedside. “Scoot. Let’s watch something.” 

“Okay,” Taeyong shuffled towards the wall with many a wince and grumble. Johnny phone screen lit up and Taeyong wailed and rolled to hide his face. 

“Holy shit.” Johnny muttered “ow ow ow ow” until he managed to get his brightness turned down. “Sorry about that.” The bed thumped loudly against the wall as Johnny clambered on. “British baking shows? Japanese reality TV? Tentacle hentai? Any one of the Star Wars movies?” He flopped down next to Taeyong on his back, shoulder to shoulder. Just two bros watchin a show.

“Let’s go with British baking shows for three hundred.” 

“Yeah I’m with you. Tentacle hentai would bore us to tears after the morning we had.” 

Taeyong laughed. “Yeah I’m done with goo in holes for now.” 

“Blegh. C’mere.” He looped Taeyong’s arm through his. Taeyong took that as an invitation and curled around it, cheek against Johnny’s shoulder. The baking show started up, the first episode of a season Taeyong hadn’t seen yet. Johnny had a pithy little comment for everything. Taeyong usually had one back. Maybe this was a good start. Somewhere safe, in between tangled up naked and a whole dark room apart. Taeyong was definitely right about one thing. Snuggling made the soreness easier to bear, both inside and out. By episode three, he almost felt like himself again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 1 of Lettering the Nest! (part 2 should be much shorter). Unfortunately I have run out of pre-written story, and I'm very busy right now, so I'm taking a holiday recess to figure out part two and get it written. I'll make occasional progress posts on twitter in the meantime, but it'll be at least a few weeks before LTN updates again. I hope this whopping 17k long sex scene is enough to hold everybody over until then. 
> 
> This week's fic rec:   
> [Baekhyun's Boarding House for Male Monsters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148154/chapters/50331557) by GinForInk. A SuperM fic about a bunch of monster boys, a witch boy, and one normal boy living in a house together. Not only does it have fantastic spooky worldbuilding, good sexy times, and an amazing plot, it's also one of the funniest things I've ever read.
> 
> I also still recommend all of last chapter's fic recs.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't wait to find out what everybody thinks! Please leave me some feedback in the comments! You can find me on twitter here: [@M_M_Socks](https://twitter.com/M_M_Socks) and on CuriousCat here: [MitchMatchedSocks](https://curiouscat.me/MitchMatchedSocks).


End file.
